calculating discounts for libraries

Donna Caban and I put together a spreadsheet last fall for Montana public libraries to use to determine their E-Rate discounts. It's linked from here on the right under 2008 Discounts.

Feel free to download this spreadsheet, and make a copy of the page(s) for your library. We used the most recent available data from OPI to calculate these discounts. Due to the volume of data and the time it takes to compile it, the data we used were from the 2007/2008 school year. The reviewers from Schools and Libraries have also been provided this link and the link to the original OPI data. Consequently, this is what they will be using to review your library's discounts.

It takes us a lot of time to put together and proof this data for you. Also included are FSCS identification nubmers for your library. We do it to make the application process easier for you. We also provide it to SLD to make the review process faster and smoother. Ideally we're all working from the same numbers.

Of course, you can feel free to do your own calculations for your library based on the current year's school lunch data. But you can't just use your school's percentages or discounts. Schools and libraries calculate their discounts somewhat differently. A school district uses a weighted average and libraries use a straight average. Don't ask me what difference this makes for many of our small school districts. But what it means is that PIA will probably not be satisfied to learn that you just called up your superintendent and asked what their discount was and plugged it in as your library's. You can, however, ask for their school lunch data - number of students enrolled in each school and the number eligible for school lunches. From that you can calculate your own averages and percentages and then look up the E-Rate discount in the matrix. These are weighted differently depending on whether your library is in a rural or urban county. To make it a little bit easier, only Cascade, Missoula and Yellowstone counties are considered urban.

It's a bit more work for you but it might be worth it if you can pick up an extra 10% discount. My advice is to keep all of your records with your E-Rate paperwork for the year and be prepared to produce it when your discount rate is challenged. And it will be challenged if your discount rate differs from the "official" one. Keep:
- The school lunch and enrollment data on school district letterhead, if possible
- Your own spreadsheet with calculations