A History of BOCES and Regional Information Centers
BOCES
In 1948, New York State enacted legislation to encourage small and rural schools to share teachers and other services. Over the past 60 years, what are now 37 regional BOCES have provided cost savings and given students all over the state access to high-quality educational programs, technology, and career, technical and alternative education through a system of regionalized services.
RICs:
The Regional Information Centers (RICs) are organized under the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). Presently, there are 12 Regional Information Centers in New York State, each administratively aligned under a BOCES. Typically, a RIC serves several BOCES within their region.
“Similar to BOCES, RICs are a trusted provider of collaborative services. By regionalizing services, the RICs, in particular, make a wider range of technology skill sets available to school districts. This relationship increases the buying power of a district and promotes consistent technical standards. This cost effective system continues to lighten the burden placed on local taxpayers and has leveled the playing field so that no matter the size of a district, the best resources remain within reach for New York students.” (www.boces.org)
The Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC) serves 50 school districts and 4 BOCES across eight counties in the central region of New York State. We provide a wide array of technology services through our 3 major components: Instructional Technologies, Student/Data Services, and Network Operations. Services include everything from professional development for technology integration, to student management systems, to network infrastructure equipment and planning. The CNYRIC maintains a massive fiber-based WAN that reaches across the region and provides high-speed connectivity for nearly all of our customers.
