School district flying on wings of fiber optic
By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
A ceremony at the Whitewater Unified School District central office late last month celebrated the first milestone reached in a technology project that will ultimately benefit the entire Whitewater community.
The gathering of school district officials with representatives of city and state government and UW-Whitewater and business partners, held Oct. 25, marked the lighting of a new fiber optic Internet connection culminating early conversations about possibilities that began in 2007, according to Charlie Barr, technology coordinator for WUSD.
The 1G-per-second fiber optic Internet connection gives the district a 1200 percent increase in Internet connectivity at a cost comparable to what the district was paying.
In addition to increasing the Internet capacity for the district to better educate students through such things as virtual classes and online assessments, this WUSD, City of Whitewater and local businesses and state agencies joint venture is the start of the development of an area-wide fiber network within the city limits.
Eric Runez, WUSD district administrator, said, “We are really excited as a school district about the impact of this first step in what we are really hoping will be something that’s going to benefit the entire community.”
Focusing on the school district, Runez also noted, “It’s really enhanced our learning environment and our efficiency and use of technology, so we’re really excited about what the future holds for us as we continue to find out better ways to use our technology and enhance those experiences for our kids.”
The project, as it continues, according to Runez, will serve the entire community. “We are really, really optimistic and hopeful that we’re not only celebrating the district’s benefit here, but this is hopefully the first step in what will make Whitewater a place to bring business to, a place to draw families and a great place to work and live,” he said.
As an example of the projected benefit to the city, both Barr and Whitewater City Manager Cameron Clapper outlined some ways in which a secure and reliable fiber network throughout the city will improve the work of police, fire and rescue services and at a cost savings.
“This is a huge step forward,” Clapper said. “We are on a path to be fully built out with fiber cabling in the next few years if we can help it.”
