Legislators: Educators on their own

BOISE - State legislative leaders are telling school officials they'll soon have to come up with their own plans for broadband Internet access, marking the latest development surrounding the state's voided $60 million contract that provided broadband access to high schools.

Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill told nearly 200 Idaho public school trustees Monday that the state's broadband project will go dark Feb. 22. This means districts will need to implement their own emergency plan immediately if they want broadband access for the rest of the school year.

"This is terrible. We apologize," Hill said.

Furthermore, Will Goodman, technology chief for the state Department of Education, says districts are also on the hook for negotiating a broadband contract for the following school year.

"You need to have a plan in case Internet is shut off on Sunday. You need to be prepared if that plan goes into place for the rest of the school year," Goodman told the trustees.

Earlier this month, a district judge reaffirmed a November ruling that the Idaho Department of Administration approved the $60 million broadband contract illegally. This left officials scrambling to find a solution to salvage the project, but so far, all temporary alternatives have been blocked.

State law prohibits using taxpayer dollars to pay for illegal contracts. But the broadband vendors have sent an ultimatum to the Department of Administration saying that unless they get payments for services, Idaho's broadband program will be shut off Feb. 22. The vendors say the state should pay them back $4.2 million for the past four months.

The program, known as the Idaho Education Network, or IEN, provides broadband access to more than 200 Idaho public high schools. The program has set up schools with video teleconference equipment, which allows teachers to offer classes to students across the state and increase the amount of dual-credit classes students can take to help prepare for college.

On Tuesday, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on a plan that will keep broadband functioning.

Many of the plan's details are still unknown. However, Sen. Dean Cameron, committee co-chair, said Monday that the committee will not consider funding an emergency temporary contract, nor will it approve giving funding directly to the districts for broadband until the end of the fiscal year.

"It will provide enough resources and funds so you will be able to seek reimbursement or cost equivalency. The appropriation will handle the next four months," Cameron said. "We need to have a clean break from the existing system, severe ties if you will, to allow things to work out."