Even though Category Two budgets span over five years, your budget is re-calculated every year based on the number of students (for schools) or square footage (for libraries) you have. This especially affects schools with changing student populations.
Figuring out what numbers to use to calculate your Category Two budget can be unclear in certain situations. Today we’ll go through some of the common questions about how to determine inputs like student counts and library square footage.
The number of full-time students who regularly attend your school is relatively straightforward to count. If you need to make a minor adjustment to your student count, update your EPC profile when you file your FCC Form 471.
Category Two budgets are designed to provide funding for the greatest number of students who could use the technology at any one time of the school day. To count the number of students you should include in your Category Two budget calculation, add the number of full-time students plus the highest number of part-time students who are present at once, a number we call the “peak part time students.”
Now that you understand how to calculate your E-rate Program discount levels, we’ll move on to a topic that always generates a lot of questions – Category Two budgets.
Category Two services include internal connections, managed internal broadband services, and basic maintenance of internal connections. E-rate funding for Category Two services is provided for a five-year period, starting with the first year after FY2014 that you receive funding for any Category Two services.
A consortium is a group of entities that apply together, usually to aggregate demand in order to lower prices. A statewide application is when a state’s purchasing department (or other state agency) applies on behalf of all schools and libraries in the state.
To calculate the discount for a consortium or statewide application:
The E-rate Program discount for libraries is based on the poverty level in the school district it (or its main branch) is located in, and its urban/rural status.
The E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) will calculate the discount as part of your form. But to see it in advance, you need to calculate the discount yourself. Today we’ll cover how to calculate E-rate discounts for libraries and library systems.
The E-rate Program discount for a school district is based on its poverty level, and its urban/rural status.
The E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) will calculate the discount based on the information you provide in your school district’s profile. But to see it in advance, you can calculate the discount yourself. Today we’ll cover how to calculate E-rate discounts for school districts and schools.
