SANTA YNEZ, CA – To assist Santa Barbara County schools that are struggling to meet the classroom technology needs of their students, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated over $79,000 to 10 area schools that applied for grants through its foundation’s Technology in Schools Program for the 2024-25 school year.
The program encourages Santa Barbara County school administrators and faculty to apply for technology grant dollars to fund specific projects. The grants let schools purchase hardware, upgrade infrastructure, add high-tech resources and boost their curriculum.
This year’s recipients are: Vista Del Mar Union School District in Gaviota; College School District in Santa Ynez; Los Olivos Elementary School in the Santa Ynez Valley; Santa Barbara Unified School District; La Colina Junior High School in Santa Barbara; Orcutt Academy High School in Santa Maria; Saint Louis de Montfort Catholic School in Santa Maria; San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara; Lakeview Junior High School in Santa Maria; and Santa Ynez Valley Union High School.
“It’s an honor to help enhance the learning experience of potentially thousands of young, learning minds in Santa Barbara County through our Technology in Schools Program,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “An innovative education is crucial to student engagement and the success of our future generations, and we’re proud to be able to contribute by helping put the latest technology in local classrooms.”
In 2015, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donated the proceeds from its annual charity golf tournament to four local schools in the form of technology grants. Inspired by the success of those grants, the tribe’s leadership created the Technology in Schools Program through its foundation to help fulfill the high-tech needs of classrooms in Santa Barbara County. Since its inception, the program has issued more than $550,000 in grants to area schools.
