Staff and students of Myrtle S. Finney Elementary School in Chula Vista accepted a $5,000 education grant from the Barona Band of Mission Indians as part of the Barona Education Grant program. The check was presented by Barona Tribal Chairman Edwin “Thorpe” Romero.

    As schools across the state continue to wrestle with the reality of budget cuts, the Barona Band of Mission Indians has been sharing resources through its Barona Education Grant Program. Since 2006, Barona has awarded more than $1 million to over 200 schools and an estimated 500,000 students statewide.

    Myrtle S. Finney Elementary School will use the grant money to purchase new flat screen computer monitors, headsets and an interactive Promethean whiteboard. The grant was nominated by Assemblymember Mary Salas (D-79).

    “Education is very important to our Tribe,” said Chairman Romero. “It is a great privilege to help deserving schools in our community such as Finney Elementary. We hope these new tools will help engage students and advance their learning in the classroom.”

    The Barona Education Grant Program is the first of its kind in California created and administered by a Tribal Government. The goal of the program is to create strong educational opportunities for the children of California building upon the success of the Barona Indian Charter School, which operates under a continuous improvement model.

    Schools throughout California can apply for educational grants from Barona to purchase much-needed supplies and materials that promote academic improvement. Each grant awarded by the Barona Education Grant Program is $5,000. Applications can be downloaded at http://barona-nsn.gov/education/education.html.