Dear Superintendents,
Today, the MDE is distributing to all districts and charter schools detailed estimates of their allocations under the Equity in Distance Learning Act (SB3044).
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and having unprecedented federal funding, the purpose of the Equity in Distance Learning Act is to provide students and teachers with the technology and professional development necessary to ensure that all have access to high-quality distance learning aligned to the state’s college- and career-ready standards.
There are three components of this document:
- Page 2 provides an overview of eligible expenses and school district eligibility
- Page 3 provides detailed estimates of
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- the state allocation to school districts and the required 20% school district match
- the devices and learning management system licenses requested in the Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) June 2020 Needs Assessment
- any variance between funding available and the cost of the needed devices and learning management system licenses
- Page 4 outlines the proposed minimum device specifications for Chromebooks, Windows Laptops, MacBooks and iPads.
The document will be arriving by two different methods, just to make sure it is easily obtainable. There will be an email to the person named as the digital learning POC in the Digital Learning Needs Assessment that will have the document attached. The document will also be placed in the FY21\EDLA folder within the Business Managers SharePoint folder for each participating LEA. This SharePoint folder should be accessible by both the Business Managers and the district Superintendent.
The MDE will host a webinar on Friday, July 24, from 1:30 to 3:00 PM to walk through this document and the next steps in the implementation of the Equity in Distance Learning Act.
Equity in Distance Learning Implementation First Steps Webinar
Date and Time: Friday July 24th from 1:30 to 3:00 PM
Registration Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6868589073986708492
Intended Audience: District Superintendents, Business Managers, and Technology Coordinators