Quaker Valley to get state funds for technology

Quaker Valley is one of three school districts that will get up to $4 million from the state for technology initiatives, the state Department of Education announced Wednesday.

Al Bowman, a spokesman with the Pennsylvania Department of Education said Quaker Valley has been named a 'Digital School District.'

The program has been expanded to include three school districts, instead of two, as originally planned. Other winners are the Carlisle School District in Cumberland County and Spring Cove School District in Blair County.

'The board of judges had rave reviews for all six the school districts (that made the final round),' Bowman said.

The three districts were chosen for unique characteristics that will allow them to take advantage of different aspects of technology in education, Bowman said. 'Each of the three school districts will face its own challenges,' he said.

Quaker Valley made the final cut, Bowman said, because it offered opportunities for solving the 'digital divide' within one school district.

'Quaker Valley has both the well off and the less well off in the same community, in the same school,' Bowman said.

'They have the digital divide on the same street.'

The 'digital divide' is a term referring to unequal access to technology among people in different socio-economic groups.

Each of the three school districts will receive up to $2 million dollars for the first year of the two-year grant program. The same amount is automatically awarded for the second year, Bowman said.

The additional funding for the third school district will come from the Office of the Administration's Demonstration Grant Program, Bowman said.

The official announcement of the Digital School District award will take place this morning at Quaker Valley High School in Leetsdale. Education Secretary Eugene Hickok is scheduled to appear and Gov. Tom Ridge is expected to give a speech by live satellite feed.

Mary Fazio, Quaker Valley spokeswoman, said district officials would not comment until today.

David Faulk can be reached at dfaulk@tribweb.com or (724) 779-7159.