Each student who attends an Albemarle County school will soon be able to plug into the internet no matter where they live, and the school system will dish out millions to make it happen.
Most students have access to computers and smartphones, but internet where they live can be spotty, and some do not have access at all.
"Some of our students don't have that capability and those capabilities aren't necessarily socioeconomic, they're also geographic, whether they're in the rural areas of Scottsville or the rural areas in and around town," said Vince Scheivert, the chief information officer for Albemarle County Schools.
Albemarle schools are making strides to close that digital divide by providing a broadband connection to all students. Scheivert says this broadband connection will work like a cellphone.
"The county has access to a wireless spectrum in much the same way that the wireless companies have cellphones operate," he stated.
This way students will have equal opportunities in the classroom and at home, but it comes at a hefty price. The project is going to cost millions of dollars, of which only about $200,000 is built into the school budget.
Albemarle County Schools are exploring other funding avenues, which Scheivert says includes "public to public partnerships, public to private partnership - as well as our own internal budget."
They are going to start the project this year and are targeting to finish the entire project within the next three years. The move is coming at a crucial time because, starting next year, all Virginia high school students will need to take one online course to graduate.
