November 7, 2023

Three Weeks!

In just three weeks, we gather in Anaheim, California for AESA's Annual Conference. There is still time for you to plan to join us.

If you haven't already registered, here are three reasons we hope to see you there!

Emerging Issues: Stay Informed on important issues. From federal legislation to entrepreneurship, learn with colleagues nationwide about issues that are impacting education, our agencies, and the schools we serve.

Breakout Sessions: Featuring topics that are important to ESAs including:

• Resilience
• Building Capacity
• 21st Century Learning
• Governance/ESA Boards

Find a detailed agenda HERE.

Networking and Fun: AESA's Annual Conference offers valuable networking opportunities and essential information for members and their organizations through the Exhibit Hall, luncheons, impromptu meetings, receptions, and more.

Please join us in Anaheim - we would love to have you!

AWS K12 Cyber Grant Program

Recognizing the need for the K12 community to enhance cybersecurity protection against intrusion, ransomware attacks, and data breaches, AWS created a non-competitive K12 Cyber Grant Program and is investing $20 million in AWS promotional credits for new and existing customers.  The grant is open to K12 public school districts, regional education service agencies (ESAs), and state departments of education (DOEs) to implement cloud-based cybersecurity solutions to increase their security posture.  Grant awards take into consideration the type of entity, student enrollment for districts, and students supported (ESAs and DOEs).  In addition to the grant funding, AWS has committed to upskilling staff through no-cost training, and providing no-cost cyber incident response assistance  to AWS K12 customers in the event of a cyberattack.  Applications for funding must be submitted no later than December 31, 2023.  For more information and to work with our team around qualifications and potential use cases, visit or apply now. 

WEBINAR: AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit Launch
Join TeachAI on Wednesday,  November 8 at 9 a.m., 3 p.m., or 9 p.m. for a guided walkthrough of their AI Guidance for Schools Toolkit designed to help education authorities, school leaders, and teachers create thoughtful guidance for AI integration. Click this link to register.

FCC Expands E-rate to Cover School Bus Wi-Fi
On October 19, the FCC voted to approve an expansion of the E-rate
program to support Wi-Fi on school buses that some school districts use
to address inequities for students who lack broadband access at home.

AI, Cyber Security & E-Rate

Federal policy conversations may seem to be gridlocked—hello, annual appropriations work and the recent three-week endeavor to get a Speaker of the House. That doesn’t mean it’s a full ground stop, though, especially as it relates to education technology and connectivity. Here is an update on all things connectivity, student data and privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

Read the Full Update