Press Release:

Levy County School Board Awarded $246,495

November 21, 2019

The School Board of Levy County is pleased to announce they have been awarded $246,495 through a Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) grant program that is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  This grant, called Levy Distance learning and Educational opportunities for All Levy students (DEAL), will provide financial resources to purchase equipment which will create a distance learning network for Levy students and staff.  End-user sites will include Bronson Middle High School, Chiefland Middle High School, Cedar Key High, Williston Middle High School, Yankeetown School, and the District Office in Bronson.  Additionally, the College of Central Florida Levy Campus, a key partner in this effort, will also be a communication hub. 

Levy DEAL will provide access for students to advanced classes like dual enrollment classes at College of Central Florida, advanced Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) opportunities, and various other classes which may not be available at their home school.  In addition to student use, Levy DEAL will also support professional development at all our schools.  Instead of traveling to the District Office or some other location for professional development, staff can now go to the hub in their community and participate remotely.  This service will also be available for our elementary schools, and will save a tremendous amount of time and travel expenses for the District, and allow for expanded professional development participation opportunities. 

There were only four grants awarded in the state of Florida, and the SBLC is honored to be one of those recipients.  We would like to thank all of those who wrote one of over 50 letters of support for this grant project, including Neal Dunn, U.S. House Representative for our 2nd congressional district.  This project would not have been possible without the support of the College of Central Florida, especially Levy Campus Provost Holly McGlashan and Vice President of Regional Campuses Vernon Lawter, who committed the required matching funds to obtain the grant.

Plans are already underway to obtain bids for the equipment, and if all go well begin using this equipment next semester.