COMPUTER AID POLICY


Computer hardware purchase and installation,including conduits, wiring and powering and testing of hardware installations, are currently eligible for Building Aid if the cost is less than $10,000 but the installation is part of a larger construction project whose cost does exceed $10,000. Such installations for which the cost is greater than $10,000 are also eligible if the specific installation is approved by the Commissioner.

Bill Section 500 of Chapter 170 of the Laws of 1994 applies the above policy guidelines to capital expenditures of less than $10,000 for acquisition of the described technology.  Therefore, such expenditures may now be claimed for Building Aid even when total expenditures are less than $10,000.

Computer elements eligible for aid are:

- Incidental costs for computer equipment installed as original equipment in a new building or a new addition.

- Approved computer classrooms in new buildings/additions, or alterations to an existing classroom to create a new computer classroom.

- Incidental costs for original purchase and installation of hardware (including computer hardware)

- Conduit, wiring, and powering and testing of hardware installations. 

- Building wide and campus wide local area network (LAN) systems wiring and in- building elements of other wide area networks (WAN):

- Original purchase and installation of conduit, wiring, and powering and testing of hardware installations network server and operating system software.

The following elements are ineligible for Building Aid:

- Individual computer workstation hardware not located in a computer classroom unless claimed as incidental costs as part of the original furnishings and equipment for a new building or addition.

- All cost for software purchase, including application software costs, and costs for installation of software (other than installation of basic operating systems software required for hardware testing).

- All cost associated with lease or purchase of wide area network hardware (leased lines, fiber optic cable, etc.) not located on district property.

- Up-grade of existing LAN or WAN equipment beyond that necessary to interface with new computer classroom installations.


April 18, 1996