Dataseam has announced East Bernstadt Independent Schools, East Bernstadt Kentucky, unanimously voted at their September 2024 Board of Education meeting to join the statewide Dataseam partnership.
“We are excited to add East Bernstadt Independent to our participating partner team,” said Brian Gupton, Dataseam. “Being able to better prepare students for the ever-increasing demands of the future workforce is why we’re here.”
Dataseam, a Louisville-based education and workforce development organization, provides technology and workforce training through industry-standard certification and US Department of Labor-approved Registered Apprenticeships in information technology. Participating public schools, generally the largest employer in most 120 Kentucky counties, earn high-end Apple workstations addressing curriculum needs reflective of a knowledge-based workforce. These computers comprise the statewide DataseamGrid supporting the Commonwealth’s research and commercialization efforts at the University of Louisville’s Brown Cancer Center.
Dataseam is funded by both competitive federal workforce funding and legislative appropriation from the Kentucky General Assembly. These efforts currently serve 58 Kentucky districts statewide representing 40% of the state’s approximately 634,000 K-12 public school students.
The opportunity to bring Dataseam to East Bernstadt was made possible by recently hired district Chief Information Officer Amanda Ball. “In my previous role for Jackson County Schools, we worked with Dataseam to bring new workstations to our students and teachers by improving our Technology Department’s skills, new teacher workstations earned via in-district summer professional development, and implementation of skilled trades programs in Information Technology for our high school juniors and seniors. It made sense to bring this to support East Bernstadt students, too.”
As part of Dataseam’s Qualified Hire program, Amanda Ball earned the district nearly $30,000 in educational computers. Technology professionals previously trained and experienced supporting Dataseam initiatives improves the outcomes of newly participating K-12 districts. CIO Ball relates she will be able to earn additional workstations for the district as part of local workforce investments as future trainings become available.
East Bernstadt Schools Superintendent Vicki Jones shared, “East Bernstadt Independent is very pleased to join in this partnership that will provide new technology to our school district. This is an exciting opportunity that will help expand the skills and knowledge of our students and staff while helping with the research behind the project.”
East Bernstadt Independent Schools, located in Laurel County in eastern Kentucky, serves approximately 474 students, grades K-8. The district serves this rural community, with many students matriculating to nearby Laurel County and neighboring North and South Laurel High Schools.
For more information on the district: https://www.ebernstadt.kyschools.us
Download a PDF of this press release HERE.
