Two Cayuga County school districts get NY Smart Schools funding … – The Citizen

Weedsport Central School District will receive $231,650, while Southern Cayuga will get $68,850. The funding is available through the state’s Smart Schools initiative. The districts had to submit investment plans that detail how they would spend the money. The plans must be approved by the Smart Schools Review Board, which consists of the state budget director, state education commissioner and State University of New York chancellor. 

According to Weedsport’s plan, the state grant would cover the cost of buying new classroom technology equipment, such as Chromebooks and iPads. Southern Cayuga Superintendent Patrick Jensen said the funding for his district will be used to buy Chromebooks for students in grades 9-12.

Overall, the review board approved plans submitted by 57 school districts and a special education school. While $7.2 million was awarded for classroom technology and $7.1 million will support school internet connectivity projects, more than half of the funds ($16.6 million) will aid with the installation of high-tech security at schools. The security measures can include entry control systems, emergency classroom notification systems and video systems. 

The smart schools initiative began in 2014 when New York voters approved a $2 billion bond act to support education-related technology upgrades. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul noted that the lack of technology affected schools during the COVID-19 pandemic when classes shifted to a remote learning model. 

“This $31.4 million investment will allow students to access the technology to bring them the opportunity to learn at their own pace while providing interactive experiences both inside and outside of the classroom,” she said.