Business Oregon — the state’s economic development agency — announced more than $1 million in new funding this week aimed at helping expand broadband internet access for K-12 distance learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a portion of which will go to the Canby School District.
The Oregon Legislature and Governor Kate Brown allocated $1,610,000 from the federal coronavirus relief fund to Business Oregon for school districts. The awards were as high as $120,000 for rural school districts with emergency needs to make distance learning possible this semester.
The grant awarded to Canby appeared to be the smallest: $8,982 for mobile cellular hotspots. The North Marion School District received $55,622 for remote internet access and hotspots for its own distance education model.
“Learning will look different as we fight the spread of Covid-19,” said Business Oregon Director Chris Cummings. “Whether there is access to buildings or not, students throughout Oregon will certainly need access to online resources and to engage with their teachers and classmates.”
Grants will fund 26 projects that provide improved internet access for K-12 distance learning in response to the Covid-19 public health emergency. Awardees include school districts and education service districts.