Computer Donations
Did you know your old computer can be refurbished to help a school? This weekend there is a drive to get 100,000 old computers donated to help schools. I found this link via Illinois Bloggers. The drive is being headed by Lt. Gov. Quinn and Computers for Schools Association. Below is the Press Release.
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April 17 This Tuesday, April 18, 1:30 p.m., Lt. Governor Pat Quinn will help the Computers for Schools Association launch “100 Percent Day,” CommentsOne Response to “Computer Donations” |

Problems with private donations.
I workded as an electrician in Chicago for many years. At the close of the school year, all the public schools and private ones build and reconstruct. Growth is always a wonderful thing.
The problem with all the used equipment is, there has to be a NEW place for is, and once installed, is outdated. Then the school tenders and bills for “modern equipment.” The way to do this is…..
Run the schools in two shifts. Early morning, no free lunch and an afternoon shift. Seems you take care of the “class space problem” and the money spent on food service would pay for a wonderful, up to date computer lab. Remove the employees, the equipment, storage and fire hazzard and turn the kitchen/seating area into a useful area.
Truth be told, keeps the school in the area, doubles the capacity. Even if you build a NEW school somewhere, you have to get more teachers anyway. Run two shifts. The wonderful outcome of this is, if a student needs special, more or a repeat of a subject not being understood, the student can sit through a second class! May spend the whole 14 hours there. Keeps them off the street from sun up to sun down and perhaps the realization will set in some.
If one chooses to excel in a given area, certainly a service open for 12 to 14 hours a day will afford a much greater oppertunity. Perhaps we can change the trend of watering down the curriculum to the slowest student, to allowing acheivers to move on.
Just a thought.
S.Harrell