During a Jan. 27 visit to the North Valley Military Institute, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) announced the North Hollywood high school would receive $182,000 in grant funding through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program from the American Rescue Plan.
The funding will help the school close the homework gap for students who currently lack necessary internet access or the devices they need to connect to classrooms.
The ECF Program covers equipment and services including the costs of laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers and more.
“With so many children in Los Angeles without devices or internet access, students are being locked out of the virtual classroom,” Cárdenas said. “I want to get as many students, teachers and staff the tools they need to help close the homework gap. That’s exactly what these federal dollars are going to do for our community.
“When we invest in student success, we pave the way for a better future for all Angelenos.”
In Los Angeles County, there are still neighborhoods where as many as 30 percent of households do not have internet connections. Across the country, an average of 18 percent of households, as many as 12 million children, still lack internet access and 10 percent lack home computers.
As part of the FCC’s ECF Program, $182 million will go to Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools; $8.4 million will go to private, charter and continuation schools in Los Angeles; and $1.6 million will go to Los Angeles Public Libraries.
The initial grant application window closed on Aug. 13, 2021, and the second application filing window closed on Oct. 13, 2021. LAUSD applied on behalf of all of their schools, and they will be distributing the funds accordingly.
Of the $8.4 million sent to private, charter and continuation schools in Los Angeles, the following are in the Congressman’s district:
● North Valley Military Institute, $187,000
● Ararat Charter School, $125,058
● Montague Charter Academy, $75,958
● Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles, $44,500
● Laurence School, $38,640