Dateline: 05/14/97 - by Walter H. Horowitz, Vice President, NoteSys, Inc.
Last week I wrote about equity. I ended promising that I would talk about sources of money. I am sorry to say that I don't have an easy answer to this question. Paying for something new will mean some hard choices about what we do now and work to find new funds.
Parents will have to be the source of the money for computers for the majority of students. The good news is that many already are willing to buy the computers. Large numbers of parents already buy computers for their children's use at home. I am sure that even more will want to purchase them if they believe they will be an integral part of their children's education. Success with the use of computers in schools will convince even more parents that that the purchase of a computer has real value to their child's future. The key point will be communication and planning. It isn't hard to spend a bit more on a computer that can be used in school when you were going to buy a desktop unit anyway. It is much more difficult to face that purchase if you weren't planning on buying a computer or you just bought one, but it isn't the right one.
We cannot expect all parents to pay for computers. While their cost is dropping, it isn't dropping fast enough to make computers affordable for a significant portion of the population. We will also have to find the money to pay for computers for all teachers and education so that teachers can learn how to use these machines effectively in their classrooms. Right now, the idea of one computer for every student is still new and somewhat experimental. This is just the right type of activity to be funded by grants. My article on April 16 covered one federal grant. Look at the resources section for pointers to locations that have information about other grants that are available.
Grants are good to seed a new activity. Another way that schools are starting these programs is to seek donations. Perhaps there are more donations out there like the one given to Rhode Island. A few school districts have formed public charitable foundations to solicit funds to pay for their machines. An example of one is the Beaufort County SchoolBook Foundation. I will address more about foundations in a future article. You need to plan ahead if you want to create a 501(c)(3) or charitable corporation. I'm told that the process normally takes four to six months.
If we believe that access to technology is important for all children, then we will have to look carefully where we spend the money we have today and adjust our priorities. One federal funding source that can be used to fund a one-to-one computer program is Title 1 funds. According to the Department of Education,
"The new Title I, as the cornerstone of the revised ESEA, is intended to ensure that all children, whatever their backgrounds and whatever schools they attend, can acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century."
Paying for part of a computer lease with Title 1 funds has been judged an appropriate use. For information on this issue see Uses of funds. The disposition of the leased machine at the end of the lease is an issue. The federal government requires that you comply with all state regulations when disposing with equipment purchased with title 1 funds. At least in New York State, they have found that it is acceptable to sell the machine to the student at the end of the three year lease for one dollar. Ask what happens to copy machines in your school at the end of their lease to find a precedent.
I really like to hear from you if you have thoughts on this subject. I can be reached via email at WalterH@notesys.com.