COLUMBIANA — Columbiana is one of five school districts within the state of Ohio to receive more than $1 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding through its District Learning and Telemedicine grant program.

Columbiana’s $1.1 million funding will empower rural communities by providing access to advanced telecommunication technology, enabling expanded educational, professional development, and health care opportunities.

For example, Columbiana is receiving $1,119,895 to connect sites across the county as well as Mahoning and Portage counties as well as support STEM education, remote learning and telehealth initiatives for thousands of students, educators, and residents.

The district plans to use their grant to purchase videoconferencing equipment, connecting six hub sites and five hub/end-user sites to expand educational and professional development services.

As Columbiana school district Superintendent Don Mook explained in his submitted grant narrative: “This type of distance technology has the potential to unlock valuable advanced placement opportunities and college credit plus options for students in our small rural school system. Where course offerings are always a challenge for small rural schools like Columbiana Exempted Village School District, distance learning technology could be a difference maker.”

Both their educational partners, Youngstown and Kent State universities, provided letters in support of the grant application, which potentially could assist them with meeting the needs of Advanced Placement students.

Both Columbiana and Mahoning County Educational Service centers as well as the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center provided letters of support for Mook’s application, as it will allow the entities to benefit for staff professional development without travel and eventually improve the students’ education.

Jonathan McCracken, state director for the USDA Rural Development in Ohio, agreed that Columbiana was deserving of receipt of the grant.

“This funding will provide the technology that expands their world and ensures a brighter, healthier future for rural students across Ohio,” he added.

Mook said that once Columbiana Exempted School District comes up with the 15 percent match for this grant, the actual award amounts to a little more than $950,000.

This year USDA awarded 131 grants in 38 states and Guam, investing nearly $81 million to expand opportunities for residents.

Other districts receiving grants are Riverdale Local Schools in Mount Blanchard, $826,327; Black River Local School District in Sullivan, $809,872; Crestwood Local School District, $918,724; and Pymatuning Valley Local School District, in Andover, Ohio, $849,223.