West Bonner County nets grant

PRIEST RIVER — West Bonner County School District is among more than 20 schools, districts and childcare organizations in Idaho that will receive funding to implement innovative technology solutions.

The district was awarded at $1,423.66 mini grant to purchase two printers and toner.

The grants were offered through funds provided to the Idaho Department of Education through the USDA’s FY 2021 Technology Improvement Grant.

Under the grant, Idaho was awarded $518,028 to award Child Nutrition Program sponsors in the form of mini-grants over the course of three years. This distribution is the third and final round in the mini-grant cycle, with total grant awards of over $171,000 in federal funding.

Some of the items purchased with the grant funds include upgraded hardware, menu planning software and more.

Funds are being distributed to 21 CNP sponsors in Idaho schools and districts. TIG officials said the goal is to boost program accountability and performance, data accuracy, and identify and target error-prone areas within all Child Nutrition Programs.

“We don’t often think of things like printers, laptops and software as essential for use in our school cafeterias,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield. “In reality, these technology improvements are another important way to ensure that we’re efficiently and effectively delivering healthy food to Idaho’s students.”