(Houlton, Maine, Mar. 16, 2026) – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Maine State Director John Butera today announced the agency is awarding $1,000,000 through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program to Houlton School District RSU #29 in Aroostook County.
“The Trump Administration and USDA Secretary Brook Rollins are focused on investing in rural America. USDA Rural Development Maine is proud to help expand access to quality learning opportunities for students across rural Maine through this important funding. When rural students are given the tools they need to learn and succeed, they carry that success back home and into their local workforce, strengthening their families, their futures, and the communities that make rural Maine such a special place,” said Butera.
This investment will be used to equip twelve sites throughout Aroostook, Penobscot, Washington counties in northern Maine with networking equipment, interactive whiteboards, simulators and laptops. Instructors at Regional School Unit 29 and Region Two in Houlton, Maine will deliver advanced coursework, dual-enrollments opportunities and career and technical education (CTE) benefiting 3,331 Maine students.
USDA Rural Development’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program helps rural communities use technology to connect to educational and healthcare opportunities they may otherwise not have access to.
USDA Rural Development invests in rural America with programs to promote rural prosperity. These programs expand access to high-speed internet, electricity, and transportation infrastructure, and support economic growth, healthcare, education, housing and other community essentials. Discover more investment details and historical data in the Rural Data Gateway and learn more about the agency at www.rd.usda.gov/me.
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