July 1 – New Mexico’s Statewide Education Network, a broadband network designed to connect public schools across the state with high-speed internet, is now online.
Nearly 15,000 students from 30 schools — three Albuquerque charter schools and all 27 schools in the Gadsden Independent School District in Santa Teresa — connected to the network on Monday.
Dozens more schools, including Santa Fe Public Schools and Monte del Sol Charter School, have committed to joining the network, which is expected to connect every district and charter school in the state by 2027.
“This has been a monumental undertaking and we are very excited that the network is finally alive,” Ovidiu Viorica, the network’s broadband and technology manager, said in a press release. “This is an extraordinary achievement that will yield productive returns for our children and our state.”
The Statewide Education Network will create an internal system that will allow schools to share lessons and materials, as well as resources for tutoring, mental health and college preparation.
“This breakthrough not only means that students will have access to all kinds of content, but it also connects people — students, teachers, principals and other staff — who can work together to achieve goals,” said Drew Lovelace, acting director of the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion, in a press release.
The venture is being funded by a combination of state and federal dollars, including a portion of federal infrastructure appropriations to New Mexico and a $5 million investment from the state’s Public School Capital Outlay Council.
Network administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the system and cybersecurity procedures. According to Lovelace, these changes would remove the “administrative burden” of purchasing internet access for schools and districts.
There is no timetable yet for when local schools will get access to the system, Office of Broadband Access and Expansion spokesman Mike Curtis wrote in an email. However, the plan is for more districts and charter schools to join the network over the next three years.
