Report 2016-129 Recommendation Responses
Report 2016-129: K-12 High Speed Network: Improved Budgeting, Greater Transparency, and Increased Oversight Are Needed to Ensure That the Network Is Providing Reliable Services at the Lowest Cost to the State (Release Date: May 2017)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To help ensure continuous network operations while preserving state resources, the Legislature should appropriate to the K12HSN program an amount that does not exceed $10.4 million for fiscal year 2017-18. If the Legislature wishes to appropriate a lower amount for the program, it should direct ICOE to modify one or more of the planned network upgrades we highlight in our report, either by delaying the upgrade to a subsequent fiscal year or by pursuing a less expensive option.
Description of Legislative Action
AB 99 (Chapter 15, Statutes of 2017), the omnibus education budget trailer bill, in part, requires the lead education agency responsible for the administration of the K12HSN to develop an annual budget request for K12HSN to be considered for the annual Budget Act. The lead education agency is required, before expending any funds for planned network upgrade projects that exceed $25,000 in cost, to develop a methodology to determine and prioritize planned network upgrade projects, and, commencing with the 2017-18 fiscal year and in each fiscal year thereafter, to utilize that methodology for planned network upgrade projects that exceed $25,000 in cost. Authorizes the Superintendent of Public Education to request data and other programmatic information from the lead education agency as needed to oversee the program.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: November 2017