FLORIDA GOVERNOR WANTS TO GIVE 164,000 TEACHERs NEW COMPUTERS Ocala.com Star-Banner Ocala, Fla.

Feb. 14, 2006,
A laptop on every desktop?

Instead of buying 164,000 new computers - that can get broken or stolen or, sooner than later, outdated - why not simply upgrade existing classroom computers?

Gov. Jeb Bush wants to give each of Florida's 164,000 public schoolteachers a brand new laptop computer as a part of his legislative proposal to recruit and retain high quality teachers.

Overall, the $239 million recruitment and retention plan the governor unveiled last month appears to be a solid step forward for a state where teachers' salaries currently rank 29th among the 50 states and lag the national average by some $6,000 a year. Much of the initiative is worthy, including: bonuses for teachers in high-demand subject areas like math and science; $40 million to spread among the 67 school districts so they can recruit more aggressively; $8 million to reimburse teachers in critical areas up to $10,000 for student loans or to defray the cost of additional education courses; and, implementation of an "education minor" at the state's universities that would allow non-education majors to become certified to teach.

Using such techniques to find and keep good teachers is both logical and overdue. After all, Florida is expected to need nearly 32,000 new teachers for the 2006-07 school year alone.

What gives us pause, though, is the governor's push to put a laptop on every teacher's desk, an initiative dubbed T3, for Technology Tools for Teachers. We are unconvinced the need for these computers is great enough to warrant spending $188 million, or 78 percent of the total recruitment and retention package budget. Every classroom in Marion County, for instance, has at least one teacher's computer. The National Education Association reports that Florida, while near the bottom in too many educational categories to count, is actually a leader in classroom technology, providing one classroom computer for every 6.7 students. That puts it among the top 15 states.

Laptop proponents say the computers would allow teachers direct access to Sunshine Connections, a web-based system that links teachers to student data, curricular materials and other educators.

The laptop initiative, however, has not been embraced by teachers' or administration advocacy groups. Instead of new computers, what they say they need is less paperwork that steals time from teaching and lesson planning.

"It is a real problem and real drain on teachers, but I've always found that every time I get an upgrade of technology, my workload doesn't get easier," Mark Pudlow, spokesman for the Florida Education Association, told the Miami Herald. "It's kind of a Band-aid, a little gimmick that he's using to sell teachers on this."

The $188 million, anticipated revenue from Broward County's not-yet-operating slot casinos, could be more efficiently used. Instead of buying 164,000 new computers - that can get broken or stolen or, sooner than later, outdated - why not simply upgrade existing classroom computers? That would leave state education officials with a remaining windfall that could be used for sorely needed teacher training, first in reading, then in, yes, how to optimally use those computers already on their desks.

Marion County Superintendent of School Jim Yancey says our teachers would benefit far more from being paid the $1,100 the state will spend on each laptop to attend three days of intensive training to make them better reading instructors. We tend to concur with the superintendent. It would, at the same time, boost teachers' pay. It's called a win-win.

There is plenty of time to tailor Gov. Bush's recruitment and retention program to suit the needs of Florida's 67 individual school districts. As the governor himself said of the teacher shortage, "It's not a one-size-fits-all problem, so the solution can't be one-size-fits-all." We agree.

Substantially enhancing Florida's toolbox for recruiting and retaining schoolteachers is a timely undertaking that should pay dividends long term. We question, however, if buying 164,000 laptop computers is really the most effective way to meet this critical public education need. We suggest there are better ways to enlighten our teachers about the wonders of Sunshine Connections and its computerized curriculum without spending $188 million on new computers. And with our way, we can put some extra money in teachers' pockets to boot.