JEFFERSON TWP — Using tens of thousands of dollars in Earned Income Tax Credits from three area businesses, Karns City School District plans to develop a library learning commons for its primary school and begin offering a robotics course at Karns City High School.

The EIT credits come from three businesses — NexTier Bank, Sonneborn and Farmers National Bank — through the Karns City Scholastic Foundation, a nonprofit organization created in 2012 with the mission to, among other things, “enrich, foster and promote excellence in education, encourage and reward academic achievement,” in the district.

Superintendent Eric Ritzert said the learning commons project, which will “support 21st century learning using ... electronic, print, manipulative and human interaction” is a vital addition to the district’s facilities.

“Today’s learners need skills that go beyond simply working with a pencil, paper, or even a computer,” Ritzert said. “We most definitely acknowledge the power of reading inside and outside of the library, but we also recognize that the library can become a place of cross-curricular collaboration.”

The robotics course will focus on the building and programming of Finch robots — small, two-wheeled robots that students can use to practice programming. Students will also use 3-D printers to add on to the machines.

District officials called the program an exciting way to get students hands-on and problem-solving experience in the classroom.

“We were searching for innovative instructional methods to teach problem-solving, critical thinking, and basic programming,” said Brenda Knoll, principal of Karns City High School. “Finch robots provide a unique method and a hands-on teaching approach.”