Kalamazoo RESA (KRESA) has been awarded $31,669,361 from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) as part of a statewide initiative to help school districts consolidate technology services, enabling schools and districts to more efficiently use their resources to educate students. The $101.6 million in state funding comes from Section 12c School Consolidation and Infrastructure, of the 2023-24 School Aid Act. KRESA and four other Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) were awarded Consolidation Incentive Awards through a competitive process. Three of these grants will support the centralization of cloud hosting services for all Michigan intermediate school districts, along with the more than 800 local districts and charter schools they serve. 

KRESA plans to use this funding to centralize school data hosting through cloud technology—a global network of servers that enables data storage and management over the internet. This centralized cloud solution, through the MiCloud initiative, aims to offer a secure and unified platform for all local school districts across Michigan. This initiative is designed to improve operational efficiency, lower costs, and ensure equitable access to cutting-edge technology for all public schools in the state. 

“Over the past decade, the KRESA technology team has become well-known across Michigan for leading the way in using and promoting cloud-based data centers. These modern data centers are more reliable, secure, and cost-effective. We’re excited to share that the Michigan Department of Education has recognized our leadership and awarded us a grant of nearly $32 million dollars to help schools and ISD's in Michigan upgrade from their legacy data centers to new, cloud-based ones.” Brian Schupbach, Assistant Superintendent for Technology and Operations. 

Consolidation Incentive Award Recipients: 

• Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, $31,669,361.
• Shiawassee Regional Education Service District, $49,853,722.
• Copper Country Intermediate School District, $13,532,690.
• Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, $4,611,227.
• Wexford Missaukee Intermediate School District, $1,933,000. 
   

About Kalamazoo RESA: 

The Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency exists to transform lives by inspiring educational excellence. It provides a continuum of educational services and support to students, families, school districts and communities across Kalamazoo County. For more information, visit kresa.org.