The William Penn School District announced a partnership with public-media organization WHYY to establish a media lab at the Green Avenue campus, district Chief of Operations Mr. Deans said at the Education Committee meeting on Nov. 12.

Mr. Deans said WHYY will support the labwith infrastructure funding, deliver a train-the-trainer program for district staff, and supply staff free of charge for two years to help establish the program. He said the district has identified physical space for the equipment and that purchased hardware will be owned by the district.

"WHYY is actually supporting the infrastructure of the entire media lab," Mr. Deans said, adding the organization will provide training credits for teachers as part of the model. He told the committee the partnership includes a memorandum of understanding to provide additional support after the initial two years if WHYY funding is available.

Mr. Deans said the administration will present a motion at the upcoming business meeting "to accept the donation of the grants, in the amount listed below for the equipment installation at our high school." The transcript of the Education Committee presentation did not specify the donation amount.

No formal vote or board action occurred during the Education Committee update; the acceptance of the donation will be considered during the districtbusiness meeting.

If approved, the district said the media lab would provide hardware and installation, teacher training with eligible credits, and initial staff support supplied by WHYY. The administration said equipment purchased for the lab will be district property and the memorandum of understanding includes provisions for sustaining the program beyond the initial period if additional funding is available.

The committee was briefed on the project and given an opportunity to ask questions; no additional specifics about timelines or the donation amount were provided in the Education Committee record. The administration indicated it can answer further questions when the item appears on the formal board agenda.