Arlington ISD is now focused on providing up-to-date technology for all students by creating a private internet network. By the end of 2023, all Arlington ISD schools will be linked to the network and provided a more stable connection with increased bandwidth.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place on April 27.
Arlington ISD Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos discussed the benefits for students during the groundbreaking, explaining a private internet network will help limit the outages that plague public networks.
The new network will make the district’s bandwidth ten times greater than it is currently and can be expanded further with more hardware in the future. The bandwidth provided by the current planned expansion is expected to be enough for the school district for the next two decades.
Superintendent Cavazos believes Arlington ISD’s private network will be part of a long-term legacy throughout the 21st century.
The plans for constructing the private network include three stages, with a mix of campuses teaching students from elementary to the high school level going online at each phase. Arlington ISD expects the private network construction will reduce bandwidth costs and eliminate commercial WAN costs.
Voters approved the funding for the fiber-optic network as part of the 2019 Bond program’s $966 million investment in schools. The private network will cost the district $5 million, a discounted price made possible by the federal E-Rate program.
The E-Rate program provides subsidies for technologies introduced to schools and school districts, allowing for discounts that can reach 80-90%. The federal program helps improve the infrastructure of public school systems across the U.S.
