The Southwest Ohio Computer Association (SWOCA), on behalf of two member districts, received news today that they are the recipient of two grant awards equaling $275,000 to increase broadband access and connectivity in three local school districts. The grant funds were secured in cooperation with Middletown City Schools, Monroe Local Schools, Lakota Local Schools, and the Butler Tech Career Center. The grant funds were made available by BroadbandOhio.
Two proof of concept projects will be funded and completed using the grant award. The first project will see a Private LTE (pLTE) network installed in South Middletown to serve the neighborhood of Amanda Elementary. The second project will see a pLTE network installed to serve the mobile home communities of Rochester Hills and Countryside Estates in Monroe, serving students attending Monroe, Lakota, and Butler Tech. The pLTE networks will provide low-cost, broadband access and equipment to families living in those areas. If the projects are successful, the pLTE model can be expanded to other school districts and communities throughout Southwest Ohio. SWOCA expects construction on the LTE networks to begin soon with a hopeful completion date prior to the start of the 2021-22 school year.
“At SWOCA, we believe access to the internet through broadband networking should be available to all students, regardless of geographic location or affordability,” stated Donna Davis-Norris, SWOCA Executive Director. “The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the disparity that exists for families and schools in trying to provide the best education possible for their children. Broadband access is no longer a luxury but a requirement for meeting the instructional goals of school curriculum. We would not tolerate students being given different learning materials based on where they live or their household income. Likewise, we should not tolerate students not having access to the same online learning resources.”
Located in Hamilton behind the campus of Butler Tech, SWOCA is one of 18 governmental computer service organizations serving more than 1000 educational entities and over 1.5 million students in the state of Ohio. These service organizations, known as Information Technology Centers (ITCs), and their users make up the Ohio Education Computer Network (OECN). Such sites, in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), comprise a statewide delivery system to provide comprehensive, cost-efficient accounting and other administrative and instructional computer services for participating Ohio entities. SWOCA currently employs 26 people and its employees are active in local, regional, and state work groups designed to make services for schools better, less costly, and more efficient. 2021 marks the 30-year anniversary for SWOCA.
Contact: Donna Davis-Norris, (513) 867-4721, donna@swoca.net
This press release originally published by the Southwest Ohio Computer Association.
Chad Carson, a 1994 graduate of Ohio University Athens in computer science, has spent the last twenty-nine years serving the Ohio Education Computer Network. Chad began his career at the LACA ITC in 1994, immediately after college. Originally hired to support Student Services, Chad advanced to systems manager, then served as LACA’s director of technology from 2001-2017. Chad was the executive director of LACA for four years prior to joining the MCOECN in the fall of 2021 as the manager of the MCOECN Data Center Operations team. In his current role, Chad is primarily responsible for the overall operation of the MCOECN server, network, and storage infrastructure, and continuously focuses his technical skills on enhancing, optimizing, and improving delivery of hosted services to MCOECN’s customers.
Joe spent 29 years in public education as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. He started his career in Grove City, Pennsylvania as a teacher and coach and finished in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania in the superintendent role. During his time as an administrator, Joe was focused on innovative ways to deliver instruction, both in the classroom and through technology. He led Ellwood City in their 1:1 laptop adoption for students and changing instruction to both direct instruction and using Google Classroom as a learning management system. He also was integral in bringing a 3-12 STEM program to the district.
Geoff has served as CEO of the Management Council since 2015, leading the mission and strategic plan for the Council and growing the organization that connects, optimizes, secures and empowers academic and administrative systems that support every learner, teacher and leader in Ohio. He is responsible for the array of work done by the Management Council on behalf of the Ohio Department of Education and Ohio’s 18 Information Technology Centers.
Jessica began her career in higher education working for the Art Institute of Ohio – Cincinnati, Kaplan College, and the Everest Institute before discovering that the public sector was her passion. She left the realm of higher education to pursue a non-profit career with the Griffith Foundation before securing a position with the Ohio Educational Service Center Association as Program Manager for Membership & Special projects.
Melissa began her career as a district technology coordinator and computer application/business teacher and during that time was fortunate to develop a wonderful relationship with her district’s Information Technology Center (ITC). While at the district, she led the implementation of OhioSchoolNet and Raising the Bar technology initiatives. In the mid 2010s, she transitioned from the district to an ITC, which introduced her to the Management Council and many of the programs that they support state-wide.
Erica came to INFOhio in the early 2010s with more than 10 years’ experience, including as an early childhood teacher and elementary music teacher. Prior to her role as an INFOhio ILibrarian, now known as Instructional Specialist, she worked for two collegiate universities, one as the Humanities Librarian and the other as Library Director. In her role with INFOhio, Erica evaluated and selected digital tools and resources aligned with Ohio Learning Standards, and supported integration of those tools and resources into classroom instruction. She also collected, analyzed, and shared INFOhio usage data to inform instructional design, and wrote for INFOhio’s social media, blog, and news. She earned a BA in English and Music and a Master of Humanities from Wright State University, and a Master of Library Science from Indiana University.
Matt Calmes serves as the Director of State Software Development. Matt has been with the State Software Development Team since the early 2000s. In his current role, he leads and manages the teams that develop and support the various products in the SSDT’s portfolio. He has a passion for technology and solving hard problems that provide benefit to Ohio’s educational community and the students they serve. 
Greg Buddelmeyer serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Management Council. He joined the Management Council staff in the mid 2010s. Greg began his career with the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office as an Assistant Auditor, working on audits of Ohio government entities. In the early 1990s, he accepted his first school district treasurer position with Liberty-Benton Local School District. He also spent time as the school treasurer for Defiance City School District and Shawnee Local School District. He eventually moved to The University of Findlay as the Financial Director for Projects and Grants, overseeing the financial operations of The All Hazards Training Center and university grant programs.
As Director of Customer Services and Support, Bill Young is the chief evangelist for excellent customer experiences across the Ohio Education Computer Network (OECN). Bill manages customer support teams that are dedicated to delivering timely and knowledgeable support for major K-12 programs and applications used by teachers and leaders across Ohio. Teams deliver support via a live-chat, a statewide call center, email, and responsive self-help web sites.
Scott Gaughan serves as the Director of Network Services. He currently focuses on network related initiatives, information security, video conferencing, and collaborative purchasing agreements. He joined the Management Council in the early 2010s after spending 30 years in state government, including Ohio DAS/OIT, Ohio SchoolNet and eTech Ohio. 
Ryan has committed his career to serving the K12 education community in Ohio. Starting out in serving INFOhio at a regional Information Technology Center in the 1990s, he quickly adapted to the changing needs of the ITC and became their lead systems administrator. When given the opportunity in the mid 2000s, he came to the Management Council to initiate the first disaster recovery services. Since then and through leading many diverse initiatives, Ryan has developed into a talented technologist who focuses on aligning technology needs and educational outcomes.