Federal funds make up for state cuts
Harvard has received an additional $168,000 in federal funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Finance Director Lorraine Leonard told the School Committee on May 9. The money is designated to offset cuts in the state “circuit-breaker” funds for this year. Leonard said that the ARRA money will cover the costs for out-of-district placements and collaborative tuitions in the special education program. As a result, for the second year in a row, the schools will not need to draw on the reserve funds set aside at Town Meeting for special education.
Gmail comes to Harvard schools
Superintendent Thomas Jefferson announced that Harvard schools will soon start using Google Apps for Education instead of the current e-mail provider. He estimates that the switch will save the district about $15,000. While most of those savings are the result of lower rates, Google’s greater reliability also eliminates the need to install a costly redundant line. Jefferson assured the committee that the new system will not require people to change their e-mail addresses.
