A number of classrooms across Columbiana schools from elementary through high school will soon have upgrades to class technology, thanks to $1.1 million in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development in Ohio and Columbiana Exempted Village School District.

The goal for the project is to install and use interactive smart boards and video conferencing equipment to accommodate distance learning for students, while creating improved educational, healthcare, and professional development opportunities in classrooms.

"One of our goals is to really improve math and reading scores, and I think that in order to do that, that content becomes accessible to them as well," Superintendent Donald Mook said.

Mook says securing this grant gives the district a chance to make a much-needed upgrade to their schools' resources at the same time, which makes the technology more effective at shaping the students' learning environment. He estimates the same project would have taken years to accomplish through other avenues of fundraising.

"You see smartboard technology with the projector coming out of the ceiling, projecting onto it, and it has limitations," Mook said of the upgrade. "We really want to be able to be interactive or collaborative with it."

After the district is able to install the new equipment and begin rolling it out in the curriculum, the superintendent says the district hopes to explore more avenues for its use. Their ultimate goal is to connect students to a comprehensive suite of resources without having to leave the building.

"[It's a] very exciting opportunity for us to be able to revitalize our technology in our district," Mook remarked.

The district aims to purchase the equipment over the summer of 2025, and install the technology in those classrooms for the 2025-2026 school year.