San Diego County has awarded a $600,000 grant in order to address access to high-speed internet access for school districts in local unincorporated areas.
Pulled from county funds allocated toward broadband in 2021, the grant will bring broadband service to nearly 900 students in the Warner, San Pasqual and Vallecitos school districts.
The districts, selected by the San Diego County Office of Education, were identified within the county’s Comprehensive Broadband Plan as areas that lacked access and were most in need.
The breakdown of the awarded funds:
- $479,000 to Warner Unified School District in Warner Springs to benefit three school sites.
- $73,000 to San Pasqual Union School District in Escondido to benefit K-8 students.
- $48,000 awarded to Vallecitos Elementary School District in Fallbrook for all students.
Areas classified as low access tend to be more rural and have populations with more non-English speakers, lower educational attainment and higher levels of poverty on average compared to the rest of the region.
“Ensuring students have access to reliable internet is a key step in supporting their academic achievement and fostering opportunities for growth within the community,” said Dahvia Lynch, general manager of the county’s Land Use and Environment Group.
The funding is in line with attempts to achieve the benefits of broadband outlined in the county’s plan.
“Widespread use of internet-enabled devices can help close the gap in educational attainment as low-income students are able to reliably complete homework and gain access to educational materials after school,” according to the plan.
