The Network folks are in the middle of Phase 1 of our Wireless Network project.  Everything went smoothly in installing the equipment and cabling at our first three sites, Lynwood High, Mountlake Terrace High, and the ESC.  We are now working on "securing" the wireless network so that it is not wide open to everyone outside the school too.  We hope to have these three sites finished in the next week or so.

We are drafting a schedule for the rest of the schools.  Our goal is to have all schools completed before we start the 2006-07 school year.  We will be starting with the high schools, then working on groups of schools by region.

I know that everyone with a wireless laptop wishes this could happen NOW, but it is important to put in a stable, manageable and secure system.  This requires a lot of testing and learning on our part.

It also requires funding. Because this is a capital Levy, we collect money as people pay their taxes.  At this point we have spent more money than we have collected, in order to deploy the projectors, AverVisions, laptops, mobile carts, gym carts, digital cameras, etc. that are already in the schools.  The upgrade of the infrastructure (wireless network, replace old hubs, more bandwidth, etc.) is, by necessity, slowed down to be in better alignment with the cash that we have available to spend.

Thanks in advance for your patience,

Cynthia Nelson