GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES $547,500 GRANT TO WESTERN NC SCHOOLS
Funds will Help Develop and Improve Student Learning
RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today announced that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has approved a $547,500 grant for the Western North Carolina Education Network (WNC EdNET) initiative which will help develop and strengthen student learning through enhanced technology in six southwestern counties of the state. The grant will help provide students in southwestern areas of the state with high-speed, high-capability Internet and intranet services.
“This project builds on a long history of collaboration among the educators in this part of our state and the Appalachian Regional Commission,” said Easley. “These ARC funds will help expand life-long learning opportunities and connect our southwestern counties to one another, as well as to the Internet and to educational resources.”
The ARC-funded school technology project involves 60 public school locations in six counties including Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain, as well as the Qualla Boundary Reservation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Along with the 60 sites, there are 10 additional locations at satellite campuses of TriCounty Community College, Southwestern Community College, Western Carolina University , as well as at local education agency district offices. The equipment will connect students, kindergarten through college, and instructors with the broadband technology infrastructure.
“Through this initiative, students across the state will have the availability to tap into educational resources that will enhance their learning experience in and out of the classroom,” said Easley. “WNC EdNET is working to ensure we can achieve One North Carolina, where every student in every corner of every county of this state has the opportunity to develop the knowledge, talent and skill to help them succeed in global economy.”
Other partners in this announcement include the Golden LEAF and Cherokee Preservation foundations, the Southwestern Commission and the Western Regional Education Service Alliance. The two foundations have also secured funding for the project.
“High speed internet service is a must for a comprehensive education in the global economy,” said Sen. John Snow (D-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania). “These funds will bring one of the best internet hook ups in the United States to 70 rural schools in the six most western counties of my Senate District. This technology will also provide the basis for new economic development in these counties.”
“This grant will help schools in rural western North Carolina compete with schools throughout the nation by providing them with up-to-date resources and equipment,” said Rep. Phil Haire (D-Haywood, Macon , Swain, Jackson). “The funds will provide the right tools to enhance learning for students in this area of our state.”
The Appalachian Regional Commission, established by Congress in 1965, works to support economic and community development in the Appalachian Region. The commission awards grants annually, from funds appropriated by Congress, to state and local agencies, economic development authorities and nonprofit organizations in the Appalachian Region, which includes all of West Virginia and parts of North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Each year, Easley selects projects to receive money from North Carolina ’s allotment of ARC funds.