TASA’s 2009 Midwinter Conference serves as a focal point for professional learning and inspired dialog, providing school leaders with the tools to create more meaningful educational opportunities for all students.

January 27, 2009
9:00 am
Brett Freedson and George Foote will present "Protecting your E-Rate Program Discounts," 
describing how common errors and E-Rate Program rule violations can lead to federal government investigations with the risk of serious penalties and forfeited E-Rate Program funds.  The presentation will also provide guidance for effectively performing internal compliance reviews, responding to subpoenas and other inquiries by the federal government on internal E-Rate Program practices and policies, negotiating settlement of alleged E-Rate Program rule violations, and implementing E-Rate Program compliance measures.

The federal E-Rate Program provides discounts valued at tens of millions of dollars for technology purchases by Texas public schools, including telecommunications and Internet access services that are essential to primary and secondary education.  The federal government currently is investigating the E-Rate Program policies and competitive bidding practices of school districts nationwide and is suspending or declining funding commitments where violations of the E-Rate Program rules by school personnel or vendors are found.  In several cases, E-Rate Program rule violations have resulted in demands by the federal government for the return of E-Rate Program funds, actions for suspension and debarment of schools and school districts participating in the E-Rate Program, and civil and criminal prosecutions of individual school employees and E-Rate Program vendors.