1997 Grant Award:

Allen Parish School Board

$330,000
Oberlin, Louisiana

Allen Parish School Board is a charter member and fiscal agent for a consortium known as Project Live. Project Live was established in 1994 for the purposes of improving educational, medical, and cultural opportunities and increasing academic performance by creating a partnership to share resources through the development of an interactive, telecommunications network between four rural high schools in their four continuous Louisiana parishes. Elizabeth Telephone Company will build the facilities for the network and supply termination equipment. The rural entities which comprise Project Live are: 1) Allen Parish-Fairview High School; 2) Beauregard Parish-East Beauregard High School; 3) Vernon Parish-Pitkin High School; 4) Rapides Parish-Plainview High School; and 5) Elizabeth Telephone/Cameron Communications. This project will improve the educational opportunities of approximately 2,220 students. Each school in the consortium lacks financial resources to adequately provide minimum mandated core curriculum for students; offer any advanced, college or specialized courses to students; provide local staff training; or provide adults in he community access to post-secondary or vocational training. RUS grant funds will be used to establish a two-way, interactive educational network between the four rural-user schools.