Computer fiasco ripped by ministers

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | January 25, 2004 | SHAMUS TOOMEY with Rosalind Rossi

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The revelation that $5 million in computer equipment became obsolete before it was ever installed in Chicago Public Schools drew the ire of South Side ministers, who complained Saturday that the "abominable waste" of tax dollars has short-changed students.

The equipment was part of a $300 million package earmarked for Chicago schools over the last five years under the federal E-Rate program. The program is funded by telecommunication fees and is intended to bridge the "digital divide" between low-income and affluent students.

On Saturday, the Rev. James L. Demus III, executive director of the South Side branch of the NAACP, led a news conference to blast the "totally irresponsible misappropriation of equipment."

"It's money that was taken out of our telephone bills," he said. "It's money we gave in good faith to take care of the program. It didn't happen."

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is now investigating why the equipment was never installed.

The public schools hired SBC to manage the program and install the equipment. Schools spokesman Peter Cunningham said the obsolete equipment was mostly cables that were over-ordered early on. The schools are now wired, he said. And SBC agreed to refund $5 million to the schools after the investigation became public, SBC spokeswoman Andrea Brands said.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Public schools are a money sink and a human potential black hole.

[techwench]

ahem. when you think about it,
computers are pretty much obsolete the moment you remove them from the box. (that's why i build my own; you know what went in and you can upgrade at a moment's notice; no nasty surprises.)

what did they get, a pile of 200 MHz Celerons?

[baltodog]

I send my children to public schools.

The schools work for us. My wife is at both schools as a volunteer. We both work the the kids on homework each night.

My kids are all gifted or advanced placement. They can hold their own against home- or private-schooled children any day.

There is alot of waste in the school system, but with minimum effort on the parent's part, good results can still be had.

Oh, yeah, I'm speaking about Wichita, Kansas, not Chicago.

[Lazamataz]

let's see, format c: /u should fix it

I want you to know that this DID fix the problem I was ha

%@2*a&bh)))

NO CARRIER

[the invisib1e hand]

agreed about public schools. it's a business with captive market.

On the other hand, I type this on an HP I purchased in 1998. It still does the job pretty well, wouldn't you say? Hardly obsolete.

[the invisib1e hand]

Schools spokesman Peter Cunningham said the obsolete equipment was mostly cables that were over-ordered early on

whew...$5 mil in cables!

reminds me of that ad that used to run on CNBC showing the cable contractor giving his estimate to some school-board type..."Kin ya pay keeash?"

[techwench]

that's EXACTLY what i'm talking about; exact same program with different names permeate the country. and not just in big metro areas either. blight: coming to a neighborhood near you.

[B Knotts]

Yep. I'm still using a Dual Celeron (333 oc'd to 500 MHz) that I built circa 1999. Works fine for me, although I am thinking of upgrading soon.

[Common Tator]

Wired all the schools with Cat 3 network cable instead of cat 5.

[csvset]

Obsolete? How?

Schools spokesman Peter Cunningham said the obsolete equipment was mostly cables that were over-ordered early on.

Obsolete cables?

I should have been a reporter. Facts? Schmacks! We have a paper to run here!

[techwench]

ha ha probably coax, 10Base5 NICs. good 'ol thicknet

[kaboom]

And SBC agreed to refund $5 million to the schools...

So under the E-rate program, where schools are reimbursed by the Gov't for around 75% of their purchase costs, will Chicago now have to give 75% of the $5 million back to the Gov't?

[ovrtaxt]

Typical. Also evidenced by the Feds vs. Microsoft case. In short, government is way too slwo and cumbersome to keep up with the private sector, and especially the tech industry. Only one of the pitfalls of big government.

[SBprone]

So are all the children above average in Wichita?

[lelio]

"It's money that was taken out of our telephone bills," he said. "It's money we gave in good faith to take care of the program. It didn't happen."

And you're shocked, shocked that the government is wasting money? If you want something done in your local school then locally raise the money and then locally supervise it. Depending on a bureaucrat thousands of miles away, or one that's disinterested in the outcome, to manage it is a sure receipe for disaster.

[Alouette]

computer equipment became obsolete before it was ever installed

Most computers become obsolete three hours after you take them out of the box.

[woofer]

I'm glad to hear that your kids are getting the most out of their education. You and, especially, your wife are to be commended.

However, this disturbs me:

The schools work for us. My wife is at both schools as a volunteer. We both work the the kids on homework each night.

Why does your wife have to volunteer her time, and both of you spend untold hours with the kids' homework?
Aren't there enough teachers at the school(s)?
Aren't the teachers being paid enough?
Do the teachers lack the skills to impart the lesson matter to the students, so you both have to pick up on the slack?

Call me crazy, but if after six to eight hours in classes, is it right to have to go over it all again for several hours at night with homework?
Are you correcting mistakes?
I always thought that homework was meant to prove that the student was absorbing the theory, training, process and displayed the depth of knowledge learned.

Might as well homeschool your kids. You seem to be carrying all of the load yourselves, anyway.

[gitmo]

How are they defining 'obsolete'? If the computers run the software they came with, then they're not obsolete.

Didn't the school know what they were buying? Nobody would sign a contract that didn't specify the equipment and software being purchased.

[yankeedame]

Obsolete? How?

My thoughts exactly. I mean, unless these computers were meant for cutting edge something-or-other how does a computer become obsolete when it comes to helping grade school kids improve their reading, do arithmetic, look up facts abut dinosaurs or the moon or something? Cheeze, as long as you have the software, i.e. "Mr. Turtle's Alphabet Fun", etc., you don't even need to get on the web.

[yankeedame]

So under the E-rate program, where schools are reimbursed by the Gov't for around 75% of their purchase costs, will Chicago now have to give 75% of the $5 million back to the Gov't?

LOL!! Sure! Right after I get back from walking to Japan.