Lake Pend Oreille School District in Idaho faces the challenge of keeping its 11 schools connected to the district network and the Internet while providing students media-rich applications over a rugged, rural terrain.

The district has been using an unstable wireless network from a small, local vendor unsuccessfully for more than a year. The technology team for Lake Pend Oreille School District knew the district needed a reliable network with greater bandwidth to keep the schools connected to the Internet and the school network. Some schools reportedly lose network connection more often than maintain it. “We’ve actually seen technology use in classrooms decline,” says Technology Director Bangle. “We have 1,500 good computers and new cabling, but the school buildings can’t communicate reliably. Some teachers are giving up on education technology because they don’t trust that a lab full of kids will be able to stay connected for a whole class period.”

To increase network reliability, Bangle’s tech team advocated using a new, carrier class, managed wireless broadband network. Bangle secured approval from decision-makers, and the district completed the federal E-rate funding process to pursue the network. The district is currently in the planning phase, and the installation should be complete this summer. Lake Pend Oreille district will begin next school year with the new, reliable, managed system that will allow the technology team to converge data, voice and video applications. The possibility of converged networks will bring a level of efficiency and savings to the district that Lake Pend Oreille has never experienced. The goals for the converged network include replacing disparate phone systems, consolidating student information systems within the district, extending educational opportunities over the Internet and into the homes of students, and increasing collaboration between classrooms.

“If we’re able to centralize the 11 different student information systems our schools have, and if we can integrate our library, special services, keyboarding, reading, math, accounting, and student achievement records, we can save 4,500 work hours per year while increasing the availability and accuracy of student data district-wide. We'll maximize the number of education hours in a day and provide students the technology that is absolutely needed in this global market," says Bangle. But before the district pursues converged networks, Bangle's tech team is looking forward to higher bandwidth, faster speed, and increased reliability.