An Education Investment That Will Benefit 60 Educational Entities in a 36 County Area of Kansas
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On October 14, 2020 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Kansas Lynne Hinrichsen announced that USDA is investing $791,638 to provide interactive video conferencing equipment and instructional programming licenses to aid in the distance program to allow access to students throughout Kansas. “Distance learning provides more educational resources to difficult to reach populations,” Hinrichsen said. “This project enhances the focus on rural education. Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA has been working tirelessly to be a strong partner to rural America in building stronger and healthier communities, because we know when rural America prospers, all of America prospers.” This Rural Development investment will help the Kansas Association for Interactive Distance Education (KAIDE) members purchase monitors, video and audio-conferencing equipment, wiring, software licenses for distance learning upgrades, and instructional programming licenses to aid in the distance program. The project will expand educational opportunities for rural residents within the five KAIDE member areas encompassing 36 counties in Kansas: Interactive Consortium Academic Network (I-CAN), Southwest Kansas Interactive Consortium Academic Network (SKI-CAN), South Central Kansas Distance Learning Network (SCKDLN), ESSDACK Education Service Center, and Smoky Hill Education Service Center. The Smoky Hill Education Service Center schools participating in the grant are: USD 307 Ell-Saline, USD 325 Phillipsburg, USD 334 Southern Cloud, USD 347 Kinsley-Offerle, and USD 426 Pike Valley. Students at Victory House in Brewster, Kansas, and remote learners with USD 473 Chapman will also benefit from the grant through the Smoky Hill Learning Center program. All SHESC member districts and schools will also benefit indirectly through interactions with education consultants, who will use some of the new equipment purchased with grant funds. The I-CAN network schools participating in this grant are USD 110 Thunder Ridge, USD 269 Palco, USD 270 Plainville, USD 271 Stockton, USD 292 Wheatland, USD 392 Osborne, and USD 399 Paradise, and will be receiving over $25,000 in federal grant funding. Cindy Beisner, I-CAN Director, said, “Having adequate technology and up-to-date equipment is essential now and no longer a luxury during this time of COVID-19 concerns. These grant dollars will be a tremendous help to our program and the students we serve.” This announcement is in conjunction with a larger announcement made by USDA, where it is investing $72 million in 40 states through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program. These investments will benefit more than 12 million rural residents. USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/ks or call 785-271-2700. |