MS SB2707

Reestablishes the Council for Education Technology as an advisory group attached to the Board of the Department of Information Technology Services and the State Board of Education.

Council membership consists of 7 ex officio voting members (including the State Superintendent, Chief Information Officer, and heads of IT Services, Public Broadcasting, Library Commission, Community College Board, and Higher Education) plus 8 appointed members serving four-year terms with demonstrated knowledge of education technology.

Council must create a Master Plan for Educational Technology Infrastructure with goal of providing every child minimum one hour per day of individual age-appropriate technology use for communication, problem solving, and research, with report due to Legislature by December 1, 2016.

Council must develop a teacher training program for integrating technology into classrooms with report due to Legislature by December 1, 2016.

Council responsibilities include advising appropriations committees, reviewing technology plans and appropriations requests, serving as information resource on education technology and bandwidth issues, and submitting annual reports to the Legislature; provisions sunset July 1, 2021.