Laptop funding argument readied State eyes access for all high schools

PORTLAND – School districts are rushing to put laptops in a limited number of high schools this fall, but Education Commissioner Susan Gendron is already looking ahead to convincing lawmakers next year that the program should be expanded to all state high schools.

Gendron said Monday the fact that so many school districts have chosen to fund laptops for ninth-graders on their own this fall will bolster her argument for broader funding by the Legislature.

“How do we ensure that we have a highly skilled work force for the future? It’s making sure that our students know how to use technology and that it’s part of the skill set that they graduate with,” she said.

This fall, at least 33 school districts from Kittery to Caribou will pay $300 apiece to put computers on the laps of ninth-graders.

Those school districts represent a combined total of 6,000 laptops for students and teachers. Apple Computer Corp. agreed to provide laptops at the same low cost negotiated for Maine’s seventh- and eighth-graders even though the total number fell short of the state’s goal of 8,400.

The school districts are now racing to ensure that wireless networks are installed, and the state is working to coordinate professional development for teachers, technical coordinators and administrators.

Ninth-graders won’t see laptops when classes convene after Labor Day, but they’ll have them by October, Gendron said.

Looking to next year, Gendron said she will propose a long-term plan to fund laptops from the seventh through 12th grades through the technology portion of the education budget under essential services and programs.

She anticipates that despite budget concerns, the amount of money put toward education will grow as the state phases in additional funding required by the tax reform referendum adopted by voters in June.

School districts would be required to spend part of their technology budget on one-to-one computing – laptops, she said.

House Minority Leader Joe Bruno, R-Raymond, said the issue would receive a thoughtful discussion by lawmakers despite the state’s continued budget worries. Already, the state is facing a potential budget gap of $1 billion in the next two-year cycle at today’s spending levels, he said.

“There’s enough support for laptops that there will be a serious discussion about it moving forward,” Bruno said.

Rep. Glenn Cummings, co-chairman of the education committee, agreed that the problem isn’t so much a lack of support, but a potential lack of money.

Whether the laptop initiative moves forward statewide in high schools likely will depend on a number of factors, including the November vote on a proposal to cap property taxes, said Cummings, D-Portland.

“It’s going to be an uphill battle in the Legislature for the laptops. There’s a core group of supporters but the Legislature as a whole is very cautious about the investment,” Cummings said.

Both Cummings and Gendron said it’s important to provide laptops to all students across the state to meet the original vision of former Gov. Angus King, who viewed his laptop proposal as leveling the playing field for students from wealthy and poor school districts.

“Without equity of access [to computers], the real promise of laptops is greatly diminished,” Cummings said.