Pilot Program to Give Used Computers to Families in Need
Posted on: Thursday, 1 September 2005, 09:00 CDT
BY MATTHEW BOWERS
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
CHESAPEAKE The families of kindergarten students at one city school will receive free used computers for their homes under a pilot program approved by the School Board on Monday.
The school division will donate as many as 125 machines to Rena B. Wright Primary School parents who dont own computers. The school receives federal Title I funding because it has a large percentage of low -income students.
The computers will be about six years old and no longer usable for classroom instruction. Theyll be loaded with software for a reading instruction program, so parents can help their children improve reading and computer skills.
The school division replaces about 1,100 outdated computers each year, and theres no market for them, said Patricia L. Powers, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. So school officials researched the legality of giving them to students who could benefit the most.
To participate, parents will be required to attend training sessions on such things as the kindergarten Standards of Learning and the Internet as an educational tool. The machines will be distributed at one such two-hour session, which will be scheduled for a Saturday.
Powers said school officials wanted to avoid a repeat of a recent Richmond-area school laptop sale that turned into a near-riot.
The cost of training and modems will be about $5,200. Its an excellent way to invest Title I funds, Powers said.
WHRO, the regions public broadcaster, will provide free Internet service for one year as part of the program. Computers will contain filters to regulate the types of online content that can be downloaded.
In other business, the School Board learned that the division finished the last fiscal year with $787,710 left over, mostly because of higher-than-expected special education, sales tax and federal impact aid revenue. The board, as is its practice, voted to ask the City Council to let it keep the extra money for construction and maintenance needs. Otherwise, it reverts to the city.
* Reach Matthew Bowers at (757) 222-5120 or matthew.bowers@pilot online.com.
Source: Virginian - Pilot
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