BOSTON – In one of his final actions as governor, Deval L. Patrick announced Tuesday that 47 schools from 14 school districts – including three schools in Huntington’s Gateway Regional District – were selected to receive a total of $5 million in grants for technology infrastructure that will strengthen digital learning for nearly 25,000 students.
Recipients for the Digital Connections Partnership Schools Grant were selected through a competitive application process and will be using the funds from the matching state grant program to improve Wi-Fi and increased broadband access.
“Technology is essential in preparing our students for success in the 21st century,” said Secretary of Education Matthew Malone. “The opportunities these students will receive due to these grants will put them at a great advantage when they are preparing for college and the workforce demands of the future.”
“I am thrilled that the state is able to help make better technology available to students and teachers,” said Mitchell D. Chester, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. “The ability to use technology and harness resources from around the world will broaden students’ horizons and make them stronger scholars, citizens, and, eventually, members of the workforce.”
Through the grant, Chester Elementary School, and Gateway Regional Junior High School and Littleville Elementary School, both of Huntington, will receive $30,000, $50,000 and $50,000 respectively, for technology upgrades, developments that will benefit 701 students, according to District Grant Writer Wendy Long.
“In 2004, Gateway completed a building program across the district which really provided a lot of technology infrastructure,” said Long, adding that the district received a 76 percent reimbursement rate through the state’s building program.
Now, the systems are in need of an upgrade due to the increasing bandwidth required to keep pace with today’s educational technology.
“This grant will pay for an Apple Mac Mini to host PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) testing, 450 Google Chromebooks, Wi-Fi upgrades at those three schools and the upgrading of Internet filters,” said Long. “We’re just thrilled to be one of three western Mass. school districts to get this grant.”
Long added that Gateway Regional High School has already seen these same upgrades as a result of being a PARCC pilot testing school last year.
Long stated that, under the terms of the grant, the district must provide a match based on it’s Chapter 70 formula.
“Our match is going to be 33.6 percent,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of research in preparing the grant in October, but the next step is to acquire firm bids and calculate out the match.”
