Chumash Tribe donates 48 laptops to Buellton middle school

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundations donated 48 new Google Chromebooks to students at Jonata Middle School in Buellton on Monday.

The donations was part of a grant request made by the school and submitted to the tribe’s Technology in Schools Program. The value of the donations is over $13,000.

Principal Hans Rheinschild said the donation will help with the school’s goal to put a laptop in the hands of every one of their students.

“The ultimate goal of our school is to get us to a 1-to-1 ratio of students to devices,” Rheinschild said. “We’re currently at 2-to-1, so getting this donation brings us a lot closer to 1-to-1.

The tribe’s Technology in Schools Program allows school administrators and faculty to apply for technology grant dollars to fund specific projects.

Clarence Ruth Elementary School and Buena Vista Elementary School in Lompoc, as well as the Carpinteria Unified School District, also received grants from the program. Those will be presented in the near future.

According to the tribe, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has donated more than $25 million to hundreds of groups, organizations and schools in the community.