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E-Rate FAQs

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1. Is ePoweredSchools listed as a service provider by the Schools and Libraries Program?

Yes, ePoweredSchools is a listed service provider and our SPIN number is 143005403.

2. What services provided by ePoweredSchools are eligible for the Schools and Libraries Program?

E-Rate eligible services offered by ePoweredSchools includes Web Hosting as well as the maintenance and technical support to maintain reliable operation.

The eligible web hosting services include:

1. Data Hosting
2. Data Backup
3. Data Recovery
4. DNS Hosting and Maintenance
5. Storage Space 3.5 GB
6. Data Transfer 1.83 GB per month

3. What are web hosting services?

The 2008 Eligible Services List defines web hosting services as "Web Hosting provides a school or library website at an external location outside of the school’s or library’s premises. A website is a location (such as www.schoolname.org) for World Wide Web content made available to those accessing the site."

4. What services provided by ePoweredSchools are not eligible for E-Rate funding?

ePoweredSchools provides a number of services and options that are not eligible for E-Rate funding. Based on our experience, the majority of our clients contract for services that are not eligible for E-Rate funding. These services and options include, but are not limited to: Consulting, Design, Training, Support, Content Management System, Software modules and applications, Web Analytical Software, etc.

Contact a website consultant for more info...

5. How do I figure out what my district’s estimated discount would be?

Discount percentages are based on two factors 1) Whether your school is in a rural or urban area, and 2) What percentage of your students receive discounted school lunches. Even if only 1% of your students receive discounted lunches you are eligible for 20% E-Rate funding;

6. Does our school or district have to go through the RFP process?

No, when the Form 470 is filed, USAC will make it available to interested service providers by posting it to the USAC website and filing this form will replace the RFP process.

7. Can ePoweredSchools assist me through the filing process?

No, in compliance with E-Rate guidelines ePoweredSchools cannot assist you through the filing process until after the competitive bidding process has concluded.

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General

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1. What is ePoweredSchools?

ePoweredSchools is a website content management system. But the ePoweredSchools system is much more than that. ePoweredSchools provides the graphic design, the content management system, and the hosting for your website as well. Additional benefits for your educational community:

Powerful Features - with e-mail notification, complete calendars for every department, and staff directories, your entire community is connected and informed.

Easy to Update - empowers even non-technical staff the ability to update--your website is current and fully functional 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Simple to Use - allows administrators, teachers, students, parents, and visitors to effortlessly navigate and effectively utilize all that your personalized system has to offer--everyone has the power to be connected and in-the-know.

Customized - designed for your school system with the look, feel and functionality that works for your educational community.

Depth - designed to be as basic or sophisticated as your school system requires with the assurance and capability to grow with you and your changing needs.

Active Parent Involvement - consistent communication from school to home, teacher access at all times, updates of schedule changes, and e-mail notifications to fit each family's needs are just some of the ways you and your parents become partners in education.

Full Technical Support - 24-hour access to our dedicated technical team and on-line access to the ePoweredSchools manuals. Read on...

2. Why should I choose ePoweredSchools?

Why? Because of our great customer support, our experience, the value of our product, and the specific functionality and features. More...

3. Why should I choose ePoweredSchools over a local designer?

ePoweredSchools can provide so much more than a local designer. Often times with a local designer, there is no content management system. The ePoweredSchools system allows your non-technical employees to easily update the website themselves. With a local designer, they are often the one to update the entire website. Also, security comes into play with a local website designer. In case of a natural disaster or act of terrorism, your website might go down if it is hosted in your city. When it is hosted on ePoweredSchools servers, your website will still be up and operable during an emergency in your location. [Other Reasons To Choose ePoweredSchools]

4. Why should I choose ePoweredSchools over the competition?

ePoweredSchools does not believe in a "cookie-cutter" approach as many of the competitors do. Your website is customized for your educational community. You decide, along with collaboration with our dedicated, seasoned design, content and programming teams. Plus, with ePoweredSchools, you are never limited in where you can go with the system. As your system grows and your needs change, so can your website. Many of the competitors' canned packages are flat; once you outgrow it or are limited by its constraints, you are faced with starting the whole process over again.

5. Where can I find pricing?

You can visit our pricing page, contact us at sales@epoweredschools.com, or call us at 888-228-2233 ext 305 for more detailed pricing. Visit Pricing Page...

6. What happens in an online demo?

During an online demo, a Sales Representative will walk you through the ePoweredSchools system, showing you how to do basic administrative duties with your website such as adding a page, deleting a page, adding a news flash, making an event for your calendar, and more. These demos usually last 30 minutes and can be scheduled at your convenience. Sign Up for a Free Demo...

7. Does ePoweredSchools host my website or do I?

ePoweredSchools will host your website on our servers. Reasons for this include:

1. The costs are significantly reduced on your end since costly hardware and software are eliminated such as servers, hardware upgrades, and more. More Cost Savings With ePoweredSchools



2. If there is a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or other emergency your website will be in another location and safe from harm. You will be able to continue updating your website via the internet and keep your site users up-to-date on the situation.
   
   
3. You will receive updates, upgrades, patches, fixes, etc. to your website instantaneously. If your website were located on your servers, you would probably be sent all of this data/information once a week, and you would need someone with the technical knowledge to install these updates.

Learn More About CivicPlus Hosting...

8. Will my website have its own unique design?

Yes. ePoweredSchools encourages our clients to think outside the box when working with our Graphic Designer on the design of their website. Ultimately, what the website will look like is completely up to the client. Many of our clients stick to the standard idea of what a school website should look like, but others have worked for something new and fresh. See some different designs...

9. Can I update my menus and navigation?

Yes. The ePoweredSchools system allows you to easily add, delete, rename, move, hide, inactivate, date, etc. your menus.

10. Can I add menus and pages?

Yes. The ePoweredSchools system allows you to easily add, delete, rename, move, hide, inactivate, date, edit, etc. your menus and pages.

11. How do I update my content?

It's easy. Using the Online Editor, you can make changes to your pages through the website. It works just like Microsoft Word. No html knowledge is needed.

12. What software do I need?

Given that you host your website on the ePoweredSchools servers, all you need is an internet browser and Microsoft Word.

13. Will I be able to see my website before it goes live?

Yes. At the beginning of your project, your website is set up at a temporary url (website). When your website goes live, this transfers to your live url. For example, when Wrangell Public Schools, AK was developing their website, they accessed it by going to http://ak-wrangellschools.civicplus.com. Then when the website went live, it transfered to www.wrangellschools.org. You basically build the website from scratch and have a finished product ready when your website goes live.

14. How soon will my website be up and running?

The timeline for your website is established with the project manager upon initiation of a contract. Together you will determine milestones of your project and a projected "go live" date. On average, the time from contract signing to "go live" is about 3 months.