Ohio schools seek funding under new $250 million state grant program for open source solutions

The Lakewood, Fairview Park and Olmsted Falls school districts are applying for some of the $250 million available statewide over the next two years through the Straight A Fund.

The grants would be used for a variety of purposes from improving career planning and preparation to purchasing new technology to dealing with student behavioral issues. The Lakewood school district is applying for three separate grants totaling more than $2.9 million.

The third grant application, for $1.5 million, would fund a new "school-within-a-school" concept at Lakewood High School in which computer hardware and open-source software would replace textbooks and paper. Students would be connected online with learning opportunities and internships in Northeast Ohio, according to the grant application.

"We will reduce costs by tapping free, open-source, paperless Internet content and, more importantly, the connectivity that presents learners with mentors, learning communities, and connected teachers," according to the grant application.