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BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT
Item No. 4.C.
For Meeting of:August 18, 2020
ITEM TITLE: Consideration of Letter of Support for Yakima School District
through Senator Patty Murray's Digital Equity Act
SUBMITTED BY: Alex Meyerhoff, Interim City Manager
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
Attached is a draft letter for Council review.
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL BY THE CITY MANAGER
RECOMMENDATION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date Type
digit l equity- ndin sup rt r sch Is 11 12020 r Memo
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August 12, 2020
Senator Patty Murray
RE: Digital Equity Now program funding for Yakima
Dear Senator Murray,
Thank you for your continued support of public education in Yakima County and Washington
State. As you know, the recent pandemic closure accelerated attention on equity gaps in
education. The reality is that even before COVID-19, education faced growing challenges in
societal equity gaps for families of underserved groups.
It is critical that call students have equitable online access, as this is no longer a luxury but a
necessity. I've found that many local students do not have access to ISP services in the home
and many have substandard technology if any at all.
The pandemic has further compounded the issue by forcing many more families to reprioritize
their finances and discontinued internet services. Our families need your help to realize digital
equity in the COVID-19 era. According to the Pew Research Center, "Nearly one in five teens
can't always finish their homework because of the digital divide."
Today, I write encouraging you to bridge the gap between students in the Yakima community by
providing funding through the $125M Digital Equity Now program you spoke with Council about
in 2019. Led by yourself, Senate Democrats introduced the Digital Equity Act of 2019 to help
close the digital divide impacting communities across the nation. As you are aware, the Digital
Equity Act of 2019 creates new federal investments targeted toward a diverse array of projects
at the state and local level that promote"digital equity"—a concept defined by the National
Digital Inclusion Alliance as the, "condition in which all individuals and communities have the
information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and
economy." The Digital,Equity Act builds on recent efforts to increase access to broadband by
prioritizing "digital inclusion" - activities that seek to provide individuals and communities with the
skills, support, and technologies necessary to take full advantage of a broadband internet
connection when they have one.
Thank you for your consideration. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or
would like additional information.
Sincerely,
Patricia Byers
Mayor