Spring and Summer break means a vacation from school for most Kentucky teachers and students. Still, schools statewide spend this time replacing, repairing, and upgrading instructional facilities for the next academic year. Estill County Schools was no different.
Ms. Tonya Beard, Estill County High School Kentucky GEAR UP instructor, spent a week of her vacation helping the district earn over $35,000 in classroom technology supporting ECHS new graphic arts program for the upcoming academic year through the district’s long-time partnership with Dataseam.
Dataseam, an education and workforce education organization based in Louisville, works with Kentucky K-12 schools, improving the state’s technology workforce as part of providing new classroom technology to schools addressing advanced curriculum needs and preparing students for next-generation workforce demands.
Tonya Beard, Estill County High School Kentucky GEAR UP instructor (left) and Jeremy Simpson, Estill County Schools Chief Information Officer (right.)
Estill County has been a partner in the statewide program since 2019. The district’s participation has brought students and staff more than $288,438.00 in new classroom technology during that period.
“Tonya was a great team player at the last minute to make sure Estill County Schools was part of the Dataseam training this summer”, said Estill County Schools Chief Information Officer Jeremy Simpson. “We work to leverage our local and state technology funds through Dataseam to provide a multiplier on instructional opportunities for students district wide. Not only will the workstations she earned support our new graphic arts program, but the district’s overall focus on college and career readiness efforts Kentucky GEAR UP drives statewide.
Computers provided by Dataseam are linked across the state district-by-district to assemble the DataseamGrid, a vital piece of Kentucky’s innovation and commercialization network. It helps the University of Louisville’s Brown Cancer Center develop more effective cancer drugs quicker and with reduced costs. The cancer computations run securely in the background and do not impede the districts’ daily classroom and Internet demands. Dataseam has worked in partnership for over 20 years with Kentucky K-12 schools advancing these efforts.
“Estill County Schools has been a great district partner for our program”, said Brian Gupton, Dataseam CEO. “Whether it’s technical training to improve our state’s IT workforce, teacher training improving instruction outcomes, DOL Registered Apprentices, or local matching of workstations, they make it happen. It creates meaningful outcomes for the Commonwealth, and we appreciate the Kentucky General Assembly’s support of the statewide effort.”
“This investment means Estill County teachers and students will have access to new tools that expand classroom learning and open doors to career pathways in growing fields,” said Sen. Brandon Smith, R-D-30. “In recent budgets, the General Assembly has delivered record funding for K-12 education, and I am proud to support initiatives like Dataseam that turn those dollars into real opportunities for students. I also want to thank our partners, from local educators to organizations like ARC and federal delegates, for helping make this possible. Together, we are ensuring our young people have every chance to succeed long after graduation.”
With efforts funded by the U.S Department of Labor, Appalachian Regional Commission and appropriation through the Kentucky General Assembly, Dataseam now serves 59 Kentucky public K-12 districts accounting for 40% of the state’s over 630,000 K-12 public school students.
For more information on the district: https://www.estill.kyschools.us
Download a PDF of this press release HERE.
