School renovation fund to pay for laptop program
Former Gov. Angus King, the father of the program, called Gov. Baldacci’s decision to expand it “fabulous.”
AUBURN – When Gov. John Baldacci announced the laptop expansion in his State of the State address Tuesday night, he gave few financial details.
Wednesday afternoon, the governor’s office said the state would pay for next year’s laptops by taking money out of the $28 million revolving renovation fund, an account that helps schools fix leaky roofs, remove asbestos and pay for other building repairs and upgrades.
Deputy Education Commissioner Patrick Phillips said the state will use money earmarked for building upgrades that are not necessary for health or safety.
“There’s ample money there,” he said. “We didn’t get a whole lot of requests.”
After next year, the Maine Department of Education plans to incorporate the cost of the computers into the essential programs and services school funding formula. That would mean the state and local school system would share the expense.
It’s all good news for Chris Douphinett, who has had a laptop for two years.
It has helped the 14-year-old research and write school reports. The word processing software has improved his spelling and word choices. The Internet has given him insight into the world beyond his hometown.
So when the Auburn Middle School eighth-grader started thinking about becoming a ninth-grader next year, only one thing came to mind: He’d have to give up his laptop.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” he said.
Now the governor wants to make sure that Douphinett and the state’s 17,000 other eighth-graders don’t have to worry about losing the portable computers they’ve come to rely on.
He wants to extend the first-in-the-nation program through high school.
“I’m happy he’s letting the computers come up,” Douphinett said during a break at the middle school. “It’s a good choice.”
‘Fabulous’
Computers for seventh- and eighth-graders have been budgeted by the state through 2005.
Proponents of the program have said it could cost between $6 million and $7 million to bring the computers to all public school ninth-graders next fall.
Former Gov. Angus King, who proposed the program in 2000, has remained a staunch supporter. He has said it would ultimately cost $18 million to $25 million a year for the program to run for grades seven through 12.
He called Baldacci’s expansion plan “fabulous.”
“I’m delighted by the governor’s decision. I think it was courageous,” King said.
He was the target of much criticism when he proposed the $37 million program four years ago.
He said Wednesday that he would be willing to help the state raise money for teacher training, curriculum and other expenses associated with high school laptops.
“I think it’s going to be a Team Maine kind of a project,” he said. “I’ll certainly try to help.”
Area educators were also happy with the governor’s proposal Wednesday. Many had been worried about yanking laptops away from students who have used them since 2002 for everything from basic research to science experiments.
“If we don’t give them the same access (at the high school) it’s going to impede what we’ve done,” said Kathi Culter, principal of Auburn Middle School.
Her students agreed.
Said 13-year-old Chelsea Martin, “Having them for two years is kind of pointless if we couldn’t have them in high school.”
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