USDA Rural Development Investment to Purchase Equipment; Partners for Wi-Fi Hotspot
COLUMBIA, MO, Sept. 28, 2020 – The Trump Administration, along with Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director for Missouri Jeff Case, today announced that the USDA is investing $112,000 to purchase laptops and a school bus for the Senath-Hornersville C-8 School District and is partnering with SEMO Electric Cooperative to provide an educational Wi-Fi Hotspot at the Dexter USDA Service Center.
“Now, more than ever, rural Missouri students and school districts require modern technological infrastructure, support, and other tools to be successful,” said Trump Administration Official State Director Case. “Through our Community Facilities programs, USDA Rural Development is able to partner with schools to provide their students and teachers the technology and infrastructure required for success. Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA has been working tirelessly to be a strong partner to rural Missouri in building stronger and healthier communities, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
Senath-Hornersville C-8 School District was awarded a $112,000 Community Facilities Grant, specifically through the $150 million in grants included in the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act that President Trump signed into law on June 6, 2019. The district will use the funds to purchase 800 laptop computers for students and one school bus for the district. The laptops will replace older machines with outdated technology that are at the end of their useful lives. The new school bus will allow the district to replace one of its older model buses that has high mileage and is experiencing costly repairs to remain operational. This project will help this rural school district in providing a better educational experience to its students.
USDA Rural Development has also partnered with SEMO Electric Cooperative to provide a location for a free Educational Wi-Fi Hotspot in Stoddard County. The cooperative set up the hotspot in the parking lot of the USDA Service Center, 18450 Ridgeview Lane, Dexter, Mo. The hotspot serves to bridge the technology gap faced by students who either lack home internet access entirely or lack high-speed connectivity. The location provides access for K-12 students in Dexter and Bloomfield and college students from Three Rivers College and Southeast Missouri State University.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas.
Contact USDA Rural Development
Information on programs available through USDA Rural Development is available by visiting www.rd.usda.gov/mo, by calling (573) 876-0976, or by emailing RDMissouri@usda.gov.
USDA Rural Development has 25 offices across the state to serve the 2.2 million residents living in rural Missouri. Office locations include a state office in Columbia, along with local offices in Butler, Charleston, Chillicothe, Clinton, Dexter, Eldon, Farmington, Higginsville, Houston, Kennett, Kirksville, Maryville, Mexico, Moberly, Neosho, New London, Poplar Bluff, Richmond, Rolla, Sedalia, Springfield, St. Joseph, Troy, and West Plains.
If you’d like to subscribe to Missouri USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.