SACRAMENTO -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the awarding of a $21 million grant to the Imperial County Office of Education to administer the K-12 High-Speed Network.

"The development of the Network is a major step forward in bridging the digital divide between students who have access to a high-quality educational network and those who do not," said O'Connell. "I want to congratulate the County Office for taking on this project that will provide a vital resource to students in our goal to increase rigor and academic achievement in school."

The Network is a state-funded program to build an infrastructure that would let California schools take advantage of tomorrow's advances in network technology. All 58 counties in the state and K-12 schools are already connected to the Network and the program will continue to increase connectivity to schools throughout the state.

The proposed state budget for fiscal year 2004-05 shifts funding for the project from the University of California to the California Department of Education and requires the selection of a lead county office of education to administer the Network. The grantee was selected through a competitive process to oversee the K-12 portion of California's K-20 high-speed Network.

"We and our many partners are looking forward to working with all 58 county offices of education and their districts to tap into the Network's capacity to support teaching and learning," said John Anderson, superintendent of the Imperial County Office of Education. "The opportunities to increase access to teaching and professional development resources and to ensure equity for all regions of the state via this powerful Network are tremendous."

The County Office will work with its higher education counterparts through the nonprofit Corporation for Education Networking Initiatives in California to maintain the Network that provides connectivity for schools and districts in all 58 counties, and all public higher education campuses in California. The County Office and its partners also will be working with K-12 technology, curriculum, and business leaders in the state to ensure that all county offices, districts, and schools are able to take advantage of the many benefits the Network can provide. These benefits include enhanced access to classroom and professional development resources (including data analysis tools to track student progress), the ability to collaborate with others across distances through Web casting and videoconferencing, and increased effectiveness and efficiency in various operational areas.

For more information on the K-12 High Speed Network, please contact the project's Director Todd Finnell at 760-312-6158. For more information on the California Department of Education's grant selection process, please visit Past Funding Profile: Lead Agency for K-12 High-Speed Network (CA Dept of Education).