GaDOE, GOSA, OGA
partnership provides more than $36.7 million in funds to 103 local education
agencies
MEDIA
CONTACT: Matt
Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
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October
27, 2014 – The
State Board of Education voted today to contribute
more than $14.8 million in bond funds toward grants that will allow 103
local education agencies (LEAs) to improve their internet infrastructure, part
of a larger effort to ensure all classrooms have the high-speed broadband
access required for digital and blended learning.
One
state charter school and 102 districts received a total of more than $36.7
million in grants from Connections for Classrooms, a collaborative funding
effort between the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the Governor’s
Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), and the One Georgia Authority (OGA).
The
five top-scoring districts – Thomas, Peach, Tattnall, Ben Hill, and Laurens
counties – will receive full funding to have wireless built out to every
classroom once grant funds are paired with estimated federal E-Rate funds.
“As
technology advances, educators have an unprecedented opportunity to provide
personalized learning to every student,” State Superintendent Dr. John Barge
said. “However, schools cannot fully take advantage of that opportunity without
access to adequate infrastructure. Through this program and others, we are
working to ensure that every Georgia classroom is fully equipped for digital
learning.”
The
Connections for Classrooms grant program is part of a broader effort that
includes expanding the University System of Georgia’s (USG) Peachnet network to
connect every Georgia LEA to its high-speed network. The partnership between
GaDOE and USG will ensure that all district central offices have 100 megabits
of bandwidth per second, per school by July 2015. Connections for Classrooms
broadens this expansion to ensure that schools have sufficient network
infrastructure to effectively utilize that increased bandwidth at the classroom
level.
Click
here
for the full list of school districts awarded
with Connections for Classrooms grants.