Getting Schools Online

For the last three years, Pacific Bell has waged an ambitious campaign to get California schools on the Internet. Its $100-million Education First initiative has been billed as a door into the classroom of the future, where every child can surf the Net and every teacher can tap new media tools.

Schools participating in the program are granted unlimited free use for a year. But after that, it costs $46 or $52 a month per school, depending on the school’s wiring configuration.

These fees, a discounted rate approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, may not sound expensive, but school officials say the charges quickly add up.

And once they’ve signed up, educators insist, it’ll be hard to drop the service without angering parents.

“Internet access is an option that most schools want but not everyone can afford,” said Bill Habermehl, associate superintendent of educational services for the Orange County Department of Education.

“It’s particularly hard right now because the public’s expectations about what we can--and should--do are so high,” he said. “If we have the access, then a year later say, ‘Sorry, we can’t afford it anymore,’ parents would be upset.”

In Orange County, 424 schools and libraries have joined the program. Most are just starting or are still in their free one-year trial period. But 26 schools will have to start paying for their connections in January.

The private sector can’t be expected to pick up all the technical costs for public schooling, said Rick Normington, vice president of Pacific Bell’s area education markets.

Education First was designed as a starter kit for schools, something they could use for a year with no financial risk, he said. If the schools found it valuable, it would become a priority in their annual budget. Something else would have to go.

“So far, 99% of the schools have remained connected,” Normington said. “We’re trying our best to keep costs down. Ultimately, it’s up to the educators to decide what tools are most important.”

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P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com