Latino Community’s “Champions of Change” Have Leading Roles in 2013

Looking to 2013 as a year when “we can all increase our efforts to work together to affect change in so many arenas,” the website ctlatinonews.com has named five “Champions of Change” in the Latino community. The individuals “have accomplished change through various means, some through their professional work, others by generously volunteering their time, working for change through policy implementation or by using the legal system,” according to the website.  They were selected by the new site’s editorial team and represent many sectors that include: health, business, politics, media, art and law. In addition, ctlatinonews.com also selected Five Young Latinos already making a difference, Five Non-profit Organizations, Five Latinos in Media & Arts and the Most Visible Latino.

Connecticut’s top five Latino “Champions of Change” as selected by ctlatinonews.com are John Soto, Frances Padilla, Yvette Meléndez, Andres Ayala, and Beatriz Gutierrez.

Frances Padilla: Through her life-long personal commitment and volunteer work, and as well as being one of the state’s leading health reform advocates, Frances G. Padilla is impacting quality of life for all Connecticut residents. As president of the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, Frances has provided strategic direction and visionary leadership.  She is initiating new partnerships, increasing outreach and deepening civic engagement on one of the most important public policy issues of our time.  A graduate of Wesleyan University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Frances has also given much of her personal time over the years to benefit the state’s Latino community.

Yvette Meléndez: Yvette Meléndez had held several executive positions in key organizations where she has been able to affect policy change. She is currently the vice president, Government and Community Alliances, for Hartford Hospital. Prior to this post she served as chief of staff for the Connecticut State University System, deputy commissioner at the Department of Public Health and Addiction Services, and at the State Department of Education where she launched Connecticut’s entry into the charter school movement.She also serves as vice chair of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, and as vice chair of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Andres Ayala, Jr.: Born in Bridgeport, newly elected state Senator Andres Ayala Jr. is a champion of change in the political arena as well as through his role as a community leader, where he has spent his career building opportunities and opening doors for others. He was elected in November 2012 to represent the 23rd Senatorial District, the first Democrat Latino Senator in Connecticut history.   He previously served three terms as state representative for the 128^th district. Ayala’s political life began on the Bridgeport City Council, where he rose to City Council president – the first Latino ever to do so.   He worked to develop  Bridgeport’s school building plan, which created five new schools.   He is an educator in the Bridgeport school system, and has worked as a teacher, dean of students and advisor to the Aspira Youth Development Program.

Beatriz Gutierrez:  Beatriz Gutierrez is helping to change the future of Connecticut by making it more of a global player in the marketplace in her role as head of the Department of Economic and Community Development’s international business development efforts. She brings a unique perspective as a Latina with a strong business background and knowledge of the world.  Born in the United States to Colombian parents, and raised in Colombia, Gutierrez returned to the U.S. to study electrical engineering at Marquette University in Milwaukee,  graduating in 1990. Gutierrez’ office at DECD is currently developing a strategic plan for Connecticut to compete in international markets.

John Soto:  The owner of Space-Craft Manufacturing in New Haven, John Soto has used his business acumen and wealth for social and economic change through philanthropy. Born in Puerto Rico, he started his company 42 years ago with four employees and today Space-Craft Manufacturing is now recognized as an industry leader, Soto has personally donated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and devoted countless hours of his time to Latino related organizations, especially those whose mission is helping Connecticut’s youth.

Consulates in Connecticut Promote International Connections

Connecticut is home to numerous international corporations and many more domestic companies that routinely conduct global business, but the number of official consulates in the state can be counted with just a few fingers. The Consulate General of Brazil is located at Constitution Plaza in Hartford, quite visibly on the corner of Market and State Streets just a block from the University of Connecticut School of Business downtown.   The Consulate General of Peru is also located in Connecticut’s Capitol City, on Main Street.

New Haven hosts the Consulate General of Ecuador, on the corner of Church Street and George Street in the heart of the city.  Just last year, Ecuadorian ambassador Nathalie Cely Suarez visited New Haven City Hall to meet with Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and New Haven’s Ecuadorian consul, Raul Erazo Velarde. New Haven is home to one of 19 Ecuadorian consulates in the United States, and the most recent U.S. census found that 21,000 Ecuadorians live in the state.

The state also has numerous honorary consulates – often no more than an individual and a mailing address – representing nations including Finland (in Norwich), France (in Middlebury), Romania (in Fairfield) and Italy (in Hartford).

The political title "Consul" is used for the official representatives of the government of one nation in the territory of another, normally acting to assist citizens of the consul's country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.  There may be several consuls,  in several main cities, providing assistance with bureaucratic issues to both the citizens of the consul's country travelling or living abroad and to the citizens of the country the consul resides in who wish to travel to or trade with the consul's country.  A consul is distinguished from ambassador, who is the official representative from one head of state to another.

Manufacturing Summit Planned to Accelerate Industry Growth

“Manufacturing is vital to Connecticut’s economic health and future. Now, after decades of uncertainty, the state’s manufacturers could be entering a new era of opportunity. Employment is rising, companies that moved overseas are returning and continuous improvement initiatives are helping many manufacturers hone their operations and enhance competitiveness.”  That assessment, from the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, is driving a Connecticut Manufacturing Summit on Friday, January 25 at the Trumbull Marriott. The program will include an overview of U.S. manufacturing from Steve Menaker, Partner,  McGladrey LLP, and a presentation of CBIA’s report, Connecticut Manufacturing: Building on the Past, Creating Our Future, issued in mid-2012, from Pete Gioia, Vice President and Economist at CBIA. Among the key stats that will inform the discussion:

• Connecticut is home to nearly 5,000 manufacturing companies that employ approximately 165,000 people and produce a vast array of products.
• A CBIA/ DataCore Partners index contained in the report, placed Connecticut as 30^th in the nation for manufacturing competitiveness.
• Connecticut ranked 9^th in the nation in the Milken Science and Technology Index that measures states’ ability to support growing manufacturing industries. (The ranking is based on public investments in R&D, a well-educated and skilled workforce, and the availability of risk capital to help convert R&D into viable technology products and services.)
• Citing manufacturing as a jobs driver, the report also said that for each manufacturing job created in the state, between 1.5 and 4 additional jobs are created in other parts of the economy.
• Each dollar’s worth of manufactured goods creates another $1.35 of activity in other economic sectors – twice the multiplier effect of most of the services sector.
• Each year, manufacturers purchase more than $21 billion in goods and services from other state businesses, according to the Connecticut Economic Resource Center.
• According to a Connecticut Industrial Energy Consumers report, manufacturing contributed $25.9 billion to the gross state product and accounts for about 11.4 percent of the state’s total employment.

The Summit will also include manufacturing executives discussing approaches for achieving success, resources needed for sustaining success, and strategies for cost-control and streamlining operations.  Among the participants are Brian DiBella, Vice President and General Manager - Wiremold Electrical Wiring Systems Division, Legrand and Don Janezic, CFO, Bigelow Tea. Panel participants also include Jason Howey, President, Okay Industries, Dr. Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Executive Director College of Technology, Connecticut Community Colleges, Dave J. Tuttle, Department Head/ Manufacturing, Connecticut Technical High School System and Douglas Johnson, Vice President of Operations, Marion Manufacturing Company.

There will be a policy discussion on improving Connecticut’s manufacturing climate led by Joe Brennan, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, CBIA.

The Summit, coming at the start of the 2013 state legislative session and prior to the Governor’s presentation of the state budget, aims to build on efforts at the Capitol to focus on high-tech manufacturing as part of the state’s economic mix.  At a news conference last Many to announce the formation of a “manufacturing caucus,” Sen. Gary LeBeau, D-East Hartford, said that over the last 10 years Connecticut has lost 50,000 jobs in manufacturing, which equates to 419 jobs lost each month. The caucus includes Sen. Tony Guglielmo (R-Stafford Springs), Rep. Zeke Zalaski (D-Southington), Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford), and Rep. Jeffrey Berger (D-Waterbury).

Modest Economic Growth Seen in 2013 Amidst Competing Indicators

The Connecticut Economic Digest, assessing the prospects for the state’s economy in the new year, has unveiled a series of observations and analyses that suggest it may be a challenging twelve months, but not without the possibility of progress, and an overall prediction of “modest growth”.  The first issue of 2013 of the journal produced by the state Departments of Labor and Department of Community and Economic Development, notes a range of factors that could impact economic prospects, among them:

• Tourism: "Last year the state launched a multi-million-dollar, two-year marketing initiative to develop, foster and stimulate the state’s brand identity and bolster business and tourism. Tourism has a significant impact on the state’s economy, estimated by the University of Connecticut’s Center for Economic Analysis at $11.5 billion every year through total traveler and tourism revenue and $1.15 billion in state and local tax revenue. Travel and tourism creates more than 110,000 jobs throughout the state, or 6.5% of Connecticut’s total employment."
• Large businesses: "The state’s “First Five” and “Next Five” job initiatives have promised substantial growth in employment and capital investment in Connecticut. At year’s end, nine business deals had been announced as part of the ongoing expansion program, which leveraged $1.3 billion in private investment. Between the nine companies — Cigna, ESPN, NBC, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, CareCentrix, Sustainable Building Systems LLC, Deloitte, Bridgewater Associates, and Charter Communications — up to 4,748 jobs are expected to be created and 11,087 retained."
• Small Businesses: "The Small Business Express Program (EXP) provides loans and grants to Connecticut’s small businesses to spur job creation and growth and has seen vigorous activity since its inception. The state has assisted 435 companies with more than $60 million in loans and grants. With this much-needed capital, up to 1,523 jobs are expected to be created and 4,080 retained."
• Housing: "The state’s housing market languished in 2011. Residential permit data through September 2012, however,  had grown by 32.2% compared to the same period the previous year. New homes sales grew 5.7% in September, and housing starts 3.6% in October, the highest level in four years."

The Digest noted that “the Connecticut recession from March 2008 through February 2010 saw the loss of 117,500 jobs. Jobs regained numbered 30,700 (26.1%) since February 2010 when the recovery began through November 2012, including 1,900 in the year 2012 through November (0.12%) seasonally adjusted since the beginning of the year. The private sector has regained 42,000 (38.1%) of the 110,200 private jobs lost in that same recessionary period.”  It is forecast that Connecticut will gain about 5,600 jobs or 0.3% in 2013.

In addition, the Digest pointed out that “The state’s unemployment rate, after peaking at 9.4% for five consecutive months in 2010 and falling rather steadily to 7.7% in March and April 2012, jumped unexpectedly through last summer to 9.0% and declined to 8.8% in November.” The New England Economic Partnership forecasts Connecticut’s unemployment rate will be 7.7 % in 2013.

State's Small Business Program Targets Jobs, Economic Growth

When a survey of family owned businesses last year found almost two-thirds of respondents projecting sales and revenue growth in 2013, it appeared that optimism was on the upswing. This weeks’ news from Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) on the progress of the state’s Small Business Express Program, launched a year ago, may be a contributing factor. The Small Business Express Program (SBEP) supports the retention and growth of small business in Connecticut through a combination of loans and grants. SBEP incorporates a stream-lined process that provides financial assistance in the form of revolving loan funds, job creation incentives; and matching grants. The program is designed to provide small business with access to capital, support job creation, increase skill development and encourage private investment. SBEP loans and grants are intended to have a positive impact on the growth of the companies receiving the funds, and correspondingly on Connecticut’s overall economy.

Slightly more than 1,607 businesses with 100 or fewer employees applied for loans or matching grants in the program's first year, according to state officials. DECD approved just over half of the applications, and the program is currently helping about 500 small businesses retain 4,616 jobs and to create another 1,738.

The DECD authorized $67.2 million in financing to 494 companies through Dec. 31 -- $27.5 million in loans and $39.7 million in grants. It has already received $412,130 in principal and interest payments. State officials are reviewing applications from another 271 businesses, for an additional $38.3 million.

Components of the program include:

• Small Business Express Revolving Loan Fund - Loans are available at a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $100,000 to assist small businesses with capital and operational needs.
• Small Business Job Creation Incentive Program - Deferred Loans are available at a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $250,000 to assist small businesses to spur growth. DECD may forgive all or part of loan based on the attainment of job creation goals.
• Small Business Creation Matching Grant Program - Grants are available at a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $100,000 to provide a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for specific job creation, capital investment and working capital goals.

The SBEP program assistance has leveraged approximately $40 million in private investment, according to DECD figures. Some participating business owners have noted that banks became more willing to lend once the business is accepted into the program.

Manufacturing Goes High Tech; Key Segment of CT Economy

Factory jobs in Connecticut slumped from 477,000 in 1969 – accounting for about one-third of total employment in the state – to just 174,000, about 10 percent of jobs statewide, in 2011, according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data. In the new issue of The Connecticut Economy however, UConn economist Steven Lanza issues a “report card” on manufacturing that presents the sector as among the most dynamic in the state’s economy, transformed by advanced technologies linked to research and development that are providing a catalyst for economic growth.  The analysis notes that during the past two years, Connecticut manufacturing employment has remained steady at about 165,000 workers.

The manufacturing sector contributed 20 percent of the growth in the state’s economic output in the decade ending in 2010, Lanza estimates, while boosting productivity – the value of manufactured goods per worker – by more than 50 percent from 1990 to 2007, with 35 percent fewer workers.

“Expanding output and falling employment [over that timeframe] combined to raise productivity per worker from $57,900 to $135,800, an impressive 134 percent increase,” Lanza says. Enhanced productivity, in turn, also led to higher wages: in 2011, Connecticut factory workers – who are now more likely to have a graduate degree and wear a suit or lab coat to work – earned an average salary of $76,900, or 26 percent above the state’s all-industry average of $61,100.

Connecticut’s manufacturing profile has also changed drastically; high-tech firms now produce more than 70 percent of the state’s output with computer/electronic products and chemicals accounting for more than 13 percent and 30 percent, respectively, of the total output in 2010.

Lanza also details how the state is now a leader in the aerospace and defense-related transportation equipment field – largely in the production of aircraft engines, helicopters, and nuclear submarines – totaling 23 percent of the state’s manufacturing output in 2010, compared with 20 percent in 1997.

Lanza is executive editor of The Connecticut Economy, a quarterly journal published by the University of Connecticut’s Department of Economics that offers data, forecasts, and substantive, data-driven analyses of current events, longer-term trends, and public policies affecting Connecticut’s economy.

Industry Growth and Enforcement: CT’s Twin Insurance Strategies

The Connecticut insurance sector plays a vital role in the global insurance landscape and the state's economy, according to a report from the Connecticut Insurance and Financial Services (IFS) Cluster and PwC US.  The report, released at the recent  2012 Insurance Market Forecast event in Hartford, highlighted the industry’s importance to the state, which was echoed in comments by the state Insurance Commissioner and Gov. Malloy. Commissioner Thomas Leonardi pointed out that “we regulate the 2^nd largest insurance industry in America,” noting that “if Connecticut were a stand-alone country, we would be one of the 10 largest insurance producing jurisdictions in the world.” You can’t ignore this industry without putting the state in great peril.”  Malloy said, stressing the need to both regulate the industry and view them as “partners” in job creation and economic development.

The 2012 Connecticut Insurance Market Report highlights the sector's rich history, current challenges and opportunities with analysis and findings from Connecticut IFS Cluster, PwC, and the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC).

KEY STATS

According to the report, Connecticut ranks first nationally in insurance employment as a percentage of total state employment and the industry represents approximately 3 percent of the state's workforce, 6 percent of the state's payroll and 9 percent of the gross state product.  Full-time employment in the sector is said to be 50,242.

Insurance also impacts other sectors of the state's economy.  The report says that one new job in the insurance industry adds an additional 1.46 jobs to the Connecticut economy; an increase of $1 in insurance labor income puts an additional $0.78 into state commerce; and every year the insurance industry purchases an average of $2 billion in goods and services from other industries in Connecticut.

"The inaugural Insurance Market Forecast is the showcase effort of that collaboration and will serve as a valuable guidepost as we expand our efforts to attract businesses and talent to our state," said James Bedard, IFS Chairman and Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer for UnitedHealthcare's Northeast Region.  [CT-N video of event.]

Looking forward, the report emphasizes that competing globally, investing in education, retaining and developing human capital, and government-led economic development initiatives are essential to maintaining the state's leadership position in the industry and growing its economy.  To drive that future growth, the report identifies the five key megatrends – social, technological, environmental, economic and political – that will influence the world's insurance industry, explaining their implications, and offering ideas and actions for embracing them.

A year ago, Gov. Malloy’s office noted that there are more than 65,000 people who work in the insurance industry in Connecticut, described as being down by almost 25% over the past 20 years.  The report compares employment by state, highlighting the top nine:  California (179,936); Texas (163,690); New York (144,077); Florida (134,393); Illinois (112,408); Pennsylvania (110,484); Ohio (108,492); New Jersey (81,119); Connecticut (61,583).

CONSUMER INTEREST

The State Department of Insurance, even as it promotes development of the insurance industry, also goes to bat for consumers.  In the third quarter of 2012, the Department’s Consumer Affairs Unit (CAU) fielded more than 1,500 complaints and inquiries and helped policyholders recoup nearly $1.2 million. During that same period, the Market Conduct division levied more than $1.1 million in fines against carriers and returned that money to the state General Fund. The fines resulted from a variety of violations and settlements ranging from untimely claim payments to improper licensing.  Since January 1, the Department has recovered more than $6.3 million for policyholders and state taxpayers.

The majority of the funds recovered for policyholders stemmed from complaints over health, accident, homeowners and life and annuities policies. The Department calculates its consumer recoveries based on what the policyholder received as a result of the Department’s intervention. The inquiries and complaints also help the Department identify industry trends that may adversely affect consumers. This data also helps determine topics for consumer education and as tools to help the Department monitor the industry. The Market Conduct enforcement actions are posted on the Insurance Department’s web site at www.ct.gov/cid

Adding Women to Corporate Boards Makes Financial Errors Less Likely

Two years ago, Calvert Asset Management Company, Inc. and the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (CRPTF) announced the successful resolution of their joint shareholder proposal on board diversity filed with Netflix, the world's largest subscription entertainment service. The announcement came as the company named its first female director, Ann Mathers, an entertainment industry veteran who joined the Netflix Board on July 1 of that year.  On behalf of the CRPTF, Connecticut Treasurer Denise L. Nappier has spearheaded Connecticut's initiative to increase the participation of women and minorities as members of Boards of Directors of corporations in which the $24 billion pension fund invests.

New data developed by a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee suggests that Nappier got it right, at least in one critical aspect of business.  Companies whose directors include one or more women are 38% less likely to have to restate their financial-performance figures to correct errors than firms with all-male boards, says the team led by Lawrence J. Abbott of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Gender diversity may make a board more open to viewpoints that oppose the CEO's and may encourage a more deliberative and collaborative decision-making process, according to the research, published in the American Accounting Association journal Accounting Horizons.

Treasurer Nappier has filed numerous shareholder resolutions on corporate board diversity, in accordance with the State of Connecticut's investment policy and the recognition that companies and firms that demonstrate a commitment to diversity are more likely to succeed in an increasingly global marketplace.

Restatements are necessitated by serious misrepresentations, whether through error or fraud, in corporate financial reports. A woman's presence on a board, the researchers found, does more on behalf of financial integrity than such tried-and-true measures as requiring the board's audit committee to consist entirely of independent directors, one of them with financial expertise, and mandating that it meet at least four times annually. The study finds those measures in combination to reduce the likelihood of restatements by about 20%, about half the effect achieved by having a woman director.

As the findings point out, “Gender diversity can potentially affect the outcome by generating more questioning of the status quo, greater acknowledgment and legitimization of opposition and third-party viewpoints (including those of the audit committee, auditor, or internal audit director) and a slower, more deliberative and collaborative decision-making process...heightening the monitoring effectiveness that may [otherwise] be diminished by groupthink."

The study's findings involved a comparison of companies that had to issue financial restatements with a control group of similar firms with no such reporting problem. The restatement sample consisted of 540 firms in total, with each of the restating firms matched with a control company on the basis of market capitalization, industry, and the ranking of the firm that performed its auditing.

Nappier, inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame in 2011, has served as State Treasurer since 1999, having previously served as Treasurer of the City of Hartford.  She is the first African-American woman to serve as a State Treasurer in the nation’s history.

Tale of Two Lists: Influential Leaders in Greater Hartford

‘Tis the season of making a list and checking it twice. Which will probably be the strategy employed by Hartford magazine next year, after enduring considerable criticism for omitting Latinos from their list and feature article on the “50 Most Influential” individuals in the Greater Hartford region - a prominent, lengthy and well-photographed December edition cover story.

Now, Latinos United for Professional Advancement (LUPA) has issued its list of the 50 most Influential Latinos in the region – a list not only impressive for who’s included, but for the numerous talented and highly placed Latinos who didn’t make the list, an indication of the growing breadth of leadership in the region by individuals of Hispanic heritage.  It is the first such list to be issued by the relatively new organization, aimed at bringing together and advancing the Latino professional community.

At least Hartford magazine will have a place to start when they consider candidates for next year’s cover story.

Yes, such lists are incredibly subjective.  But as LUPA points out, their list “was developed to demonstrate the significant roles Latinos play in the capital region and the influence they have on many facets” of life in the region and the state.  “The Latino population in Hartford is more than 45 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and in Connecticut the total population growth from 2000-2010 was 168,532 with Latinos comprising 158,764 of that population growth.”

See the LUPA list and the Hartford magazine list.  All good and worthy people, who are making significant contributions to the region.   That's 100 names, no overlap.

Concerns raised by ctlatinonews and others regarding the Hartford magazine list will, one would expect, result next year in other names “making their first appearance, new faces on the Greater Hartford scene that we expect to see more of in years to come,” to quote, in a slightly different context, the Hartford magazine list preamble.

Virtual Technology Drives New Collaboration to Respond to Achievement Gap Challenges

A persistent academic achievement gap, determination to advance an effective response and the emergence of a cutting-edge technology are driving a new collaboration that is aiming to improve education opportunities for students in underserved communities and strengthen connections among students, teachers, parents, and the community. The first steps of the initiative – which brings a leadership donation by the Travelers Foundation together with the just-formed Connecticut Technology and Education Collaborative (CTEC) and the Hartford Public Library – will lay the groundwork for the introduction of “desktop virtualization” technology to support education for Hartford students.

The Travelers Foundation is providing no-longer-needed computers and financial support to CTEC, which includes The Walker Group, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT), GreenShare Technology and SpaceFitters. The CTEC initiative marks the first time that such an effort has been undertaken in Connecticut - designed specifically to bring an evolving cutting-edge technology to K-12 students in the state.  A pilot project launched by CTEC began earlier this year in Windham schools.

The donation by the Travelers Foundation will support repurposing and installing the computers at a number of Hartford Public Library locations. In turn, they will be designated for student use and connected to the Hartford Public School network. This will give HPS students after school access to the applications and files they’ve used during the school day from reconfigured PC’s that operate better than new ones.  Access to their classwork offers the students the means to spend additional time reviewing material, working on assignments, and reinforcing lessons.

The technology enabling these donated computers to perform so well is known as desktop virtualization, which shifts the more intensive processing from the computer itself to a specialized server running in a secure data center in East Hartford, part of a previously established and underutilized state network that was developed to advance educational purposes.

The desktop virtualization technology enables students and faculty to access their school network from anywhere, anytime, using any type of device. It is a transformational technology in education, giving students a new way to access technology and opening up extended learning options for disadvantaged schools and communities.

“Virtual desktops hold tremendous potential for enabling under-served students to gain access to school technology," commented Tony Budrecki, Virtualization Services Director at The Walker Group in Farmington. “Our repurposing of legacy machines donated by Travelers into high performance systems wouldn’t have been possible just a few years ago. It’s a great example of creative philanthropy helping to solve a big societal problem.”

The Connecticut Technology and Education Collaborative is made up of Connecticut-based for-profit and non-profit organizations. The group’s goal is to help level the playing field for access to high-quality, affordable technology in school and from home, through creative public-private collaboration.  The initiative also offers the potential of cost-saving benefits to local schools, as computer network capacity is used more efficiently.