Ohio drops 50% match requirement for school districts to access broadband funding

A push from an advocacy group for children in Ohio’s Appalachian region and two former governors has led Gov Mike DeWine’s (R-OH) administration to decide to expand broadband services to students without requiring school districts match 50% of their allocations. When the DeWine administration initially launched its plan to use a $50 million grant from federal CARES Act funds to purchase Wi-Fi hot spots and internet-enabled devices late in July, officials set a 50% match contribution for school districts to access the money. The Appalachian Children’s Coalition, an advocacy organization made up of educational and mental health professionals from southeast Ohio, wrote a letter to DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. Recognizing the strain a match would place on underresourced, rural school districts, DeWine and Husted agreed.