USAA Foundation Gives San Antonio Schools $325,000 to Bridge the Digital Divide

The USAA Foundation has awarded the San Antonio ISD Foundation a $325,000 grant to increase access to online learning across the city, according to KSAT.

This grant comes just one week after SAISD announced that the first three weeks of the 2020-21 school year will be online only.

Grants from USAA Foundation — the nonprofit arm of the San Antonio-based financial services giant — plus other community supporters are helping bridge the digital divide by funding the creation of internet hotspots.

While hardware was made available to district students in March for the shift to online instruction, internet access remains a problem. A spokeswoman for the foundation told KSAT that at the outset of the pandemic some 60% of SAISD students didn't have access to an internet hotspot.

Providing access to online services is one of the ways SAISD has worked to bridge the economic gap for San Antonio families during the pandemic. After schools switched to online learning, school districts in the region continued to provide free meals to students.

SAISD superintendent Pedro Martinez has said that in-person instruction will become available to students after Labor Day. Families will then have the choice of whether to continue online or transition to in-person schooling.

Stay on top of San Antonio news and views. Sign up for our Weekly Headlines Newsletter.