Luna outlines technology proposals

State schools Superintendent Tom Luna’s budget request for next year includes $13.4 million for school technology; he said it’s the same amount schools got this year. That would include $8 million distributed directly to school districts for classroom technology; $2.25 million to continue the statewide high school WiFi contract Luna signed over the summer; $3 million for another round of technology pilot projects; and $150,000 for an online course portal for parents and students to use.

Luna made reference to lawmakers’ concerns over his signing the multi-year contract with one-time funding, based on vague “intent language” written into this year’s school budget. “If there is anything I have learned, it is that I will make sure we all have a clear understanding of intent language, what it means and exactly how it will be carried out in the future,” he told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.