PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. — The companies behind a new data center in Port Washington are donating $225,000 to help relaunch the local school district's educational foundation.
Developer Vantage, along with Oracle and OpenAI, each contributed $75,000 to the Port Washington-Saukville School District.
District superintendent Michael McMahon said the investment will have far-reaching impacts.
“Reestablishing our education foundation is an important step forward for our students, staff and community,” McMahon said. “This collective investment from Vantage Data Centers, Oracle and OpenAI will increase opportunities in our classrooms, support our educators, and help ensure our students are prepared for the future.”
Watch: Neighbors call $225,000 donation from data center to Port Washington schools helpful, yet bittersweet
The donation comes after months of construction on the data center complex. While some residents welcomed the investment, others expressed that the gesture is bittersweet, citing feelings that neighbors were not given a proper say in the approval process.
"If they're going to do something like this, yeah, help out the schools... That I think is excellent," Heidi Scanlan said. "It's helpful, but it doesn't make it better."
"It doesn't bother me because this is the future," Gary McClellan said. "I'm sure there will be more from what I have read."
Vantage Data Centers Community Engagement Specialist Pam Lyons emphasized the donation is a signal of the company's commitment to neighbors.
"Strong schools are the foundation of strong communities," Lyons said. "Vantage is committed to being a good community partner... And (this) demonstrates we're here for the long term."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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