Maine middle school students may someday actually be anxious for summer to end so that they can start classes -- and pick up their new laptops.

In a bold attempt to bridge the digital divide, Maine Governor Angus King announced a proposal on Thursday to give every seventh-grader in the state a portable PC.

Learn more in Making the Grade
Read more Technology news

The $50 million statewide initiative, the first of its kind, would give away laptops to the 17,000 seventh-graders in Maine's public schools starting in 2002.

King figures that at the end of five years, all Maine students above sixth grade would then have a laptop to call their own.

"Everyone is going to do this eventually ... why shouldn't Maine be first?" the governor said.

The initiative would set aside a one-time state appropriation of $50 million in a permanent endowment fund, to be matched by $15 million from federal and private sources. The fund would come from an unallocated budget surplus, and the program could be continued indefinitely using the proceeds from investments.

By establishing an ongoing endowment, program developers hope to assure critics that the program will evolve along with technology.

"[The program] will assure an all-time commitment and technology won't become obsolete," said Yellow Light Breen, director of special projects at the Maine Department of Education.

Although a vendor to supply the computers hasn't been named, King estimates the laptops will cost under $500 and include basic word processing, spreadsheets, and Internet and email access.