David M. Krenz – Superintendent of Schools
					Austin Public Schools – 401 Third Avenue NW – Austin, Minnesota 55912 Phone: (507)433-0966 – Fax: (507)433-0950 – Email: david.krenz@austin.k12.mn.us

March 25, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is sent on behalf of the Austin Public School District to express our strong support of the Google broadband project proposal being submitted by the Google for Austin, MN, Committee. By way of background, the Austin Public School District is a PK-12 public school district which serves 4452 students and is proud of the high-quality education we provide to a diverse student population.

High speed broadband access will prove essential in our mission to educate our students for a global economy.  As Austin Public Schools are currently experiencing growth and intense demographic change, we have to move beyond the traditional structures of education and provide e-learning experiences for our students.  If educational institutions do not provide the high speed access to students, we are in jeopardy of not only losing the competitive edge, but also could possibly lose students to online learning opportunities.  It is in our best interest to stay competitive in the global market and support teachers and students with opportunities to communicate, collaborate and cultivate technological skills for the 21^st Century.

We hope that you will award Austin, MN, as a Google Fiber finalist for the high-speed broadband network as proposed. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely

David M. Krenz

David M. Krenz