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68 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 12, 2004 Rogue River schools will get high-speed Internet link By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Schools here will soon have high-speed Internet connections, thanks to a contract signed with Hunter Communications. Superintendent Charles Hellman said the agreement with the Medford-based company will bring high-speed, fiber-optic connections to its four schools — and eventually link the district to the Southern Oregon Education Service District. "This will increase speed and capacity for transmitting data throughout our school district," said Hellman. Hellman said Charter Communications and Hunter both bid on the district contract, but Hunter’s bid was lower. The district’s annual budget is $19,000 for Internet connections. Advertisement Hunter came in with a bid of $22,000. Hellman said a financial review of the two contracts found that Hunter’s services would not end up costing the district extra money once the system is operational. Hellman said the $3,000 increase to have high-speed bandwidth will disappear once the district eliminates current expenses to fix and replace servers at each of the four schools. "Now we’ll only need one (server)," he said. "So, basically it’s a wash." High-speed connection is particularly helpful during the state’s annual mandated testing in English, math and science. "We test students in the third, fifth, eighth and 10th grades, and it’s all done online," he said. Slow Internet access can result in long pauses between classes or questions. Crashes in the system can mean even more problems — especially for students who are younger or who have trouble concentrating during testing. "When we have large groups of students online at once, our data flow slows down. That won’t happen anymore," he said. Hellman said once the schools are linked, the next step will be to connect to the ESD through Gold Hill schools — which are also waiting to get a high-speed connection. The ESD provides technical, specialized and instructional support to all the county’s school districts. Smaller districts, which often can’t afford to hire a special education teacher, can link with the ESD and get specialized instruction and assistance, he said. Hunter Communications already has upgraded Medford, Central Point, Ashland and Phoenix-Talent districts to high-speed fiber technology. Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times