PORT ANGELES – Efforts to get broadband services to all students in the Port Angeles School District got a financial boost.

This week, the Port Angeles Education Foundation donated $80,000 dollars to the district for connectivity issues. That’ll be coupled with about $60,000 dollars of school district money.

Superintendent Marty Brewer says the money will be used to help about 100 families now without broadband connections get them.

“We’re starting the rollout as of yesterday for those hundred and two families. We’re going to find a way to get them internet access either by the way of Wave cable if that’s an option to the address of the individual and/or we have what’s called a Verizon MiFi device, which is a hotspot.”

Brewer says it’s a matter of education equity. He says asking students to search for Wi-Fi in public parking lots doesn’t work as the district will be delivering classes online for most students for the foreseeable future.

“So, we did a pivot about mid-august and said ‘okay, what do we have to do to be able to provide internet, you know resources to families that need it’. These kids need it now, so I’m really proud of our district and our community for stepping up to this need. If we’re going to have a distance learning model, and looks like we’re going to have something for  the very near future, we can’t turn a blind eye to this issue any longer.”

The district is also parking Wi-Fi-equipped busses throughout the community to help with connectivity issues.