South Valley superintendent chosen to meet the president

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A South Valley superintendent is one of a chosen few who will meet with the president and the secretary of education this week.

At Lindsay High School, every student has a laptop. An opportunity that high school teacher Andrew Guss says gives them access to school work at home.

"It's a huge advantage over some schools," said Guss. "They're always able to do research they're always able to do work. They're always able to access our curriculum."

That's in part due to Superintendent Thomas Rooney, who's pushing the use of technology across the school district. Now he's one of 100 superintendents who'll be recognized for his leadership at the Superintendent Summit with President Obama.

"Learning that is going to prepare them for college and career is a responsibility that I embrace," said Rooney. "And I'm side by side with my fellow leaders. Side by side with my fellow learning facilitators in Lindsay."

The transition to digital learning started a few years ago. But it was propelled in this school district by the Connect-Ed Initiative. In 2013 President Obama challenged schools to get students to next generation connectivity in five years.

"They're more tech savvy," said Guss. "They're more interested in the things they're doing because they have the ability to draw connections online and they get to use technology on a regular basis."

Communities like Lindsay struggle with widely accessible broadband internet. But it's a problem Rooney is working to change.

Rooney added, "Without technology I really do not believe that personalized learning is going to be possible."

Rooney travels to Washington DC on Wednesday and hopes to share his ideas for digital learning with the president.