OPSB approves $2M to improve technology
by Sunny Meriwether - posted Thursday, February 21st, 2013 @ 12:00 pm

The Ouachita Parish School Board agreed last week to spend some $2 million to improve the school system's technological infrastructure in spite of concerns expressed by some board members over unfunded state mandates.

Acting on a recommendation from the School Board Finance Committee, the board voted last week to spend the money on the improvements, which will allow schools better access to the Internet. The expenditure does not include the costs for computers or increased bandwidth.

The infrastructure upgrades will be needed so schools can begin online testing in the 2014-15 academic year. Louisiana is a member of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, which set the timeline for implementation of the Common Core Curriculum, according to Ouachita Parish Schools Technology Director Ken Moore. Online testing is required as part of implementing the Common Core Curriculum.
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