Gov. Robert Bentley has announced a $100,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant for new computer equipment in the Limestone County school system.
With a $100,000 grant, the Limestone County school system will purchase Apple MacBook Air computers for use by fifth graders.
“Students who are well-versed in current technology are better prepared for successful careers and bright futures,” Bentley said. “This grant will help Limestone County students gain valuable experience with technology that will serve them well today and in the future.”
The equipment purchase is part of the school system’s Digital Passport Initiative, a program to provide students and teachers in grades three through 12 with laptop computers. School system officials say the program’s aim is to help better prepare students for technology jobs in the Huntsville area.
The school system is contributing $923,499 toward the initiative.
Congress established the ARC in 1965 as a supplemental grant program to raise the standard of living, improve the quality of life and promote economic development in the Appalachian mountain region, which includes Limestone and 36 other Alabama counties.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama along with a wide range of other programs that support law enforcement, economic development, workforce development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
Contact: Mike Presley, Larry Childers