Apple would supply laptop computers to Maine's seventh- and
eighth-graders under a deal announced Monday by state officials.
The agreement would help Gov. Angus King achieve his long-sought
goal of putting computer technology in the hands of middle-school
students. However, it is unclear whether the Legislature will
provide the necessary funding.
King's original $50 million request has already been cut by $20
million, and with the economy in recession, lawmakers may want to
reduce spending further to keep the state budget balanced.
A state official also disclosed Monday that the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organization begun by the
founder of Microsoft, has offered to donate an undisclosed sum to
the state that would be used in connection with the laptop plan.
The bid accepted from Apple would provide iBooks to Maine's
33,000 seventh- and eighth-graders.
Chosen by the state from several bidders, Apple would provide the
laptops, wireless networking, software, training and technical
support to the students and 3,000 teachers at an annual cost of
about $300 per user over a four-year period.
The details of the agreement still must be finalized, but
officials say the deal with Apple is a good one for the state.
"By being the first to do this on a statewide basis, we figured
to get people willing to take a (financial) hit to work with us,"
said Yellow Light Breen, spokesman for the state Department of
Education. "Clearly, that's happened. We think Maine is getting an
extremely good deal."
A projected drop in state revenues could force lawmakers to
consider using a portion of the laptop money for another purpose.
Some estimates peg the shortfall at between $200 million and $300
million through June 30, 2003.
"We all have to be realistic. The state's facing a significant
budget shortfall," Breen said. "But the premise inside the
administration is that we can afford to go forward and do this."
Once a contract is signed, officials said the state's 16,500
seventh-graders would receive iBooks next fall, and the 16,500
eighth-graders would get one in 2003. Some of the new laptops could
be in schools sooner, perhaps by February, but only for
demonstration purposes.
Apple was selected over two other finalists, NetSchools and
MindSurf Networks, a company affiliated with Sylvan Learning
Centers. Companies that responded to the state's request, but either
did not submit a bid or failed to meet the state's requirements,
included Sprint Business, P.C. Connection, Celt Corp., Tencorp, IBM,
Compass Learning, Verizon and Dell.
Students and teachers said Monday they like Apple computers, but
really any laptop would do.
"I like P Cs better (than Apples), but basically that's because
I've been working with them," said Kyle Warren, an eighth-grader at
Freeport Middle School. "I think it'll help a lot to have these
laptops because kids can work on them any time, and they won't have
to wait to go to computer lab."
P Cs, or personal computers, are more prevalent than Apple
computers - typically called Macs - and use a different operating
system than Apple.
"We're talking about tools here, not operating systems," said
John Lunt, technology coordinator at Freeport Middle School,
dismissing concerns about PC versus Apple. "This is a wonderful
opportunity to begin providing adequate access to the educational
potential that's out there."
The five-person group that evaluated the bids and tested various
operating systems settled on Apple's latest laptop, the iBook,
because of its power, versatility and ease of use. Apple was an
early supporter of King's laptop idea, lending him a classroom's
worth of computers when he visited schools last spring to generate
support for the program.
The governor's laptop plan has changed since it was announced in
March 2000. Initially, King wanted $50 million in state money and
$15 million from private sources to give every incoming
seventh-grade student a laptop computer every year. The students
would have owned the computers through high school and possibly
beyond.
King said the computers would help students learn, prepare them
for careers and also serve as an economic development tool.
Since then, the Legislature has reduced the fund to $30 million,
which would be endowed to keep buying computers indefinitely if King
is able to come up with the $15 million in private funds.
King has said he has managed to raise some of the $15 million,
but he has not publicly identified the source or the exact amount.
Without the private funds, the $30 million would be used to buy
computers until the money runs out.
Breen said Monday the state has received a "substantial" pledge
of financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
He said the grant, which will be formally announced in the next
few weeks, will be used to train teachers as part of the laptop
initiative.
Staff Writer Mark Shanahan can be contacted at 791-6363 or
at: mshanahan@pressherald.com