“The Greene County Board of Education endorsed a plan Monday night that would provide Apple iBook laptop computers to every student and teacher in the middle and high schools. Under the project, the school system would buy 1,783 computers, one for every student and teacher in grades six through 12. Parents would be asked to pay $50 to cover insurance costs for the machines. Funding the project, modeled after a program in Henrico, Va., will take a combination of new money and reallocation of existing funds, said Finance Director Harvey Gay,” reports LaToya Mack for The Free Press in Kinston, North Carolina.

Mack continues, “In its budget, the board asked county commissioners for $200,000 to help fund the program, but the commissioners have budgeted only $125,000 for the computers. The system will apply for grants to cover most of the costs. Greene County school officials saw firsthand the benefits of the laptop program when they went to the Apple Corporation in California at the end of May. Superintendent Steve Mazingo, board Chairwoman Pat Adams, Director of Instruction Pat MacNeill and Gay met with three Apple executives to have their questions about the program answered. After the meeting, Mazingo said he was convinced that Apple is committed to education and said the iBook is designed with education in mind.”

“Having this project in Greene County would put it at the forefront of rural education, Gay said. Access to the Apple technology could give students an edge in learning, board member Joe Smith said… The board unanimously voted to endorse the project and will discuss it in a joint meeting with county commissioners Wednesday,” Mack reports.

Full article here.