Dallas ISD’s pandemic plan to connect students didn’t work, new cheaper plan is now in effect

By Sujata Dand Originally appeared in Dallas Free Press Almost three years ago, we told you about& Dallas ISD’s innovative plan& for students to access high-speed internet access at home by creating a private wireless network. The $4.5 million project was piloted at Lincoln, Spruce, South Oak Cliff, Pinkston and Roosevelt high schools.& Today, the plan is no longer viable. DISD workers set up and reviewed Chromebooks purchased by the school district before distributing them to students at the start of Dallas’ innovative plan to keep students connected internet at home in 2020. Photo courtesy of& Dallas ISD Flickr. “The performance was not any better than a hot spot. That’s the bottom line,” says Sean Brinkman.& He’s the chief technology officer for Dallas ISD. The district invested in& 40,000 hot spots during the pandemic. The hot spots were meant to be a temporary solution. Brinkman’s predecessor Jack Kelanic (who is now chief technology officer for the Los Angeles ISD) was pushing for a permanent solution by focusing on the private wireless network.& After installing large cell towers on each of the pilot campuses, Brinkman says Dallas ISD ran a proof of concept for a year and between the “astronomical cost”...