Before You Begin

Before you begin the process of applying for Schools and Libraries Program discounts for the upcoming funding year, you should review the description of the Schools and Libraries Program and the application process flow chart. These documents provide an overview of the program and the sequence of activities you must complete to receive funding. You can also look up unfamiliar acronyms and terms.

Know the Eligible Services

Many commercially available telecommunications services are eligible for discounts, as are basic conduit access to the Internet and some equipment that allows access to these services. The Eligible Services Overview gives you a general understanding of eligible products and services. You should also review the Eligible Services List (ESL) for the appropriate funding year because the entries in this list, and their eligibility, can change from one funding year to another.

Eligibility

To be eligible for discounts from the Schools and Libraries Program, you must meet the program definition of a school or a library. If you are not sure of your eligibility status, you may need to contact your higher-level administrative agency - your state department of education, your state library, or other organization - to assist you.

Discounts range from 20 percent to 90 percent of the cost of eligible services. You can refer to the program’s discount matrix for basic information on discount percentages and review information on calculating your discount to find out what your discount would be.

Note: Schools and libraries can apply on their own or they can form consortia to aggregate demand and thereby negotiate lower prices. The entity leading the consortium may or may not be eligible for discounts.

It is also possible that certain school or library students and/or facilities may also be eligible for discounts:

• Non-instructional facility (NIF) - school buildings that generally don’t contain classrooms (e.g., school administrative buildings, school bus barns, school stadiums) or library buildings that don’t have areas open to the public (e.g., library administrative buildings, library technology centers, bookmobile garages)
• Non-traditional elementary and secondary education - this category includes Head Start, pre-kindergarten, juvenile justice, adult education, etc.
• Educational Service Agencies (ESA) - also called ESUs, BOCES, or other names, these are regional public service agencies that develop, manage, and provide services or programs to local education agencies
• School Residential Facilities - starting with Funding Year (FY) 2011, the following school residential facilities are eligible for discounts:
• School on Tribal lands
• Schools that serve children with physical, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities
• Schools that serve children with medical needs
• Juvenile justice schools, where eligible
• Schools with 35 percent or more students eligible for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

Entity Numbers

If you do not have an entity number (also called a Billed Entity Number or BEN), you will need to obtain one. In general, each school and school NIF in a school district and each library outlet/branch and library NIF in a library system must have its own entity number if it will receive discounted services. You can submit a question or contact the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at (888) 203-8100 to obtain entity numbers and to get more information on when they are required.

Next Steps

Once you have reviewed the information above and obtained an entity number, you can go to Step 1, Technology Planning, to learn how to prepare a technology plan and get it approved.