Ohio K-12 Network

Program Overview

The Ohio K-12 Network is a joint effort between eTech Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). The Ohio K-12 Network was created in FY00 to provide funding to assist Ohio school districts in connecting to the statewide, K-12 educational technology network. The Ohio K-12 Network offers services to all public school districts in the State of Ohio, linking classrooms to each other and the Internet, while providing access to voice, data, video, electronic mail and other educational resources for students, teachers and administrators.

View the FY13 Quick Start Guide

Begin the FY13 Funding Application

Please note that you will be redirected to the eTech Ohio portal.

About the FY13 Ohio K-12 Network Application

For the FY13 funding cycle, districts need to complete the online application including an updated Wide Area Network (WAN) diagram. Applicants were also required to complete an eligible Funding Year 2012 E-Rate application. Per-building allocations for FY13 will remain $1,800.00 per eligible building. Eligible entities include Public Schools, Community Schools, qualifying Educational Service Centers, Joint Vocational Schools, Ohio School for the Deaf, Ohio School for the Blind, and the Department of Youth Services. Non-public schools should contact their Information Technology Centers (ITC) to inquire about their eligibility and application requirements for connectivity funding. In order to receive funding, all entities must be in compliance with the program guidelines. The application deadline for this year is November 30, 2012.

FY13 Updates

Based on feedback from the field, the application was released July 9, 2012 to help relieve workload during the often-busy fall period. At this time, the application is available for completion and review by your organizations, however, applications will still not be reviewed and awarded until after the Commitment Letter deadline, which is August 31st, 2012. Please note: Commitment Letters are submitted by ITCs. Applying districts do not need to complete a Commitment Letter.
The legacy tool (HallPass) used for applications has been replaced with the Salesforce portal. The application is newly designed, and there are helpful guidelines built in to help you through the process—but please expect a different look and feel than the one to which you have been accustomed. Begin your application process by reading the Quick Start Guide.

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Connectivity Rules for the 2012-2013 School Year

The Ohio K-12 Network Planning Committee's Technical Subcommittee has established the following connectivity rules for the 2012-2013 (FY13) school year:

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Application and Review Process - Revised October 31, 2012

eTech Ohio will post the online application starting July 9, 2012.
District staff complete applications through the eTech Ohio portal. Please see FY13 Quick Start Guide (above) for step-by-step instructions.
All subsidy applications (application, WAN diagram, and connectivity survey) must be completed and submitted to eTech Ohio by November 30, 2012. No applications will be accepted after that date.
Program Administrator will begin reviewing applications approved by the ITCs starting September 4, 2012.
District staff may check on the status of their district's application at any time by logging into the eTech Ohio portal.
Awarded applications will be forwarded from eTech Ohio to ODE on a weekly basis September 4, 2012 - January 1, 2013.
Applications will be processed by eTech Ohio and ODE by January 22, 2013.
Funds for approved applications will be distributed periodically by ODE once the approval process begins on September 4, 2012.
The entire amount of funding must be encumbered on or before June 30, 2013
All funds must be liquidated on or before September 30, 2013

Please note: While entities will only have to apply once, payments will now be made bi-annually with the first half of the award being processed after the application is approved and the second half of the award being processed in spring of FY13.

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