Minnesota schools will share $55 million they can use to buy new computers and software, thanks to a court settlement with Microsoft Corp.
While schools have known since 2004 that they had some money coming their way, the final amount was up in the air until recently. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Monday that the technology vouchers have just started going out.
"With the fast-paced changes in the field of technology, it is often difficult for schools to keep pace," he said. "This money will allow them to update, and in many cases, expand their technology, which in turn will help students learn and achieve at higher levels."
The amount each school gets depends on the concentration of poverty in their school districts. Some will receive only a few thousand dollars, while others, like Minneapolis and St. Paul, are in line for more than $6 million each. Districts have until 2012 to use up the vouchers.
The money is left over from a settlement to a class-action lawsuit in which Minnesota customers and businesses claimed the company was violating antitrust laws by overcharging for its Windows operating system and its Excel and Word programs. The company had denied overcharging, saying the prices on its products had dropped.
At the elementary school where Pawlenty detailed the payout, Principal Patricia Steingruebl was ecstatic to learn her school would be getting $55,000. She said the school now spends about $2,000 a year on new technology.
"We don't plan to spend that all at once," Steingruebl said. One priority, she said, will be new software to help teach reading.
The vouchers will automatically go to districts and they will be able to shop from a list of 1,500 hardware and software products, said Richard Hagstrom, an attorney with a Minneapolis law firm involved in the case. He said offerings go beyond Microsoft products.
At the North St. Paul school Monday, Pawlenty separately announced a new initiative to encourage physical fitness and healthy eating among kids. The "Governor's Fit School" program will award the label to schools that promote healthier food choices, develop physical education and health standards and assessments, and take other steps to fight obesity.
"This is more than a class," said Health Department Commissioner Diane Mandernach. "It's a lifestyle."
By Brian Bakst, Associated Press Writer
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
