Microsoft to Build High School in Philadelphia, PA

LynchMan writes "According to the The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia is too be the home of a Microsoft funded High School. While having an inner city public school with a large tech fund ($46 Million) will be a great asset to those young students interested in technology, is the Philadelphia School District selling out to Microsoft really the only way to achieve this? Especially with all of the negative press that Microsoft has had recently, is this an attempt to do some good and help out those who cannot afford private school? Or is Microsoft just making sure that they secure themselves another generation of coders/admins/users? This being the first school of it's kind, will a Microsoft high school be coming to a town near you?" This looks very much like the Microsoft buses that toured from school to school a couple years back, but much larger and much more stationary.

Comments

Little billy did something bad

[zakezuke]

Little billy... report to the head sysop!

Re:Little billy did something bad

[digitalunity]

God damn. This is one big trollfest. According to the Associated Press article that was in my newspaper, this wasn't done by Microsoft. It was done by the Gates Foundation, a non-profit fund run by Bill G. and his wife. They give out millions every year in educational grants. This is actually a good deed, probably the best thing Bill has ever done.

Re:Little billy did something bad

[mormop]

This is one of those rare occasions when I find myself quoting the bible:

Matthew
Chapter 6
1 Take heed not to do your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. 2 When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does; 4 so that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render [it] to thee.

In other words "charity is charity when you do it quietly". Boasting about it on the other hand, is self publicising and earns you no brownie points or to put it another way:

Let not thy marketing department send out press releases in order to make thy people think thou art a generous individual when instead thou art trying to maximise thine user base and profits for such actions render thee no better than the rulers of Sco who long ago wedged thine heads up thine arses and tried to rob the righteous penguinistas and thine own shareholders.

Re:Little billy did something bad

[monkeydo]

But Gates Foundation or no, the linked article is very clear on MS' involvement (and it's non-monetary-- so it works is they give stuff to the school which costs them very little incrementally to produce, then they write off the full retail value on their taxes, essentially making a profit on their tax return).

You forgot to say IANACPA. I'm not either, but I do know that according to the IRS your basis for charitable contributions of inventory (that is property you sell in the course of your business) is the SMALLER of the fair market value or your cost.

If MS donates software that cost them very little to produce then they get very little tax deduction. If the software comes directly from MS then MS is donating millions of dollars worth of software that the school could probably never afford in exchange for very little tax benefit. If the software is coming from the Gates Foundation, then the foundation would have to buy the software from MS and donate it. Since the foundation is tax exempt the deduction wouldn't be an issue. If you like you can check out form Publication 526 from the IRS.

Blinded By Hate

[Ken@WearableTech]

How could anyone have any question about this being a good thing? Microsoft is not building the school nor is it paying for the school to be built. The local school board is building it and MS is contributing technology and services to the school to see what happens to education when the school is afforded every technological luxury possible. This is an experiment! If afterwards the students bought MS products for themselves, so what, they are likely to anyway. If some of the students went on to be programmers and favored the Windows OS and Visual Studio, so what, it is already likely. Coke and Pepsi already give money to schools to put in only their product. Aside from the questions of health, do we cry out the these children's minds have been warped in the decision of who to favor in the cola wars? No.

If it was not for Microsoft this school would still be built, it just wouldn't have the technology.

I have the suspicion that those who object to this would think it would be the coolest thing if RedHat decided to help a school become a pure Linux organization, with a Zarus PDA for every child.

Re:Blinded By Hate

[Jellybob]

Now, who do you see trying to outdo Microsoft in the 'we supplied all this shiney new kit.

So you want to hold a business decision made by their *competitors* against them now?

How about we all just be done with it, and say their contributing because Bill Gates enjoys eating babies.

Re:Blinded By Hate

[millwall]

"How could anyone have any question about this being a good thing?" [..cut..] MS is contributing technology and services to the school."

I would say the article makes it look like Microsof is paying for the school, but it only gives project management, training and support. Which probably only will relate to Microsoft technology.

In what way is this such a beutifully good thing?

From the article: "Microsoft's contribution will not be monetary, but services worth millions of dollars, including a full-time on-site project manager, planning and design expertise, staff training and ongoing technology support. It plans to bring in other technology partners.

Re:Blinded By Hate

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot Double Standard #1431:
When Apple did this, it was praised and lauded as good move to provide computers, and help kids, and maybe also build potential customers.

When Microsoft does this, it's pure evil, the administrators have been duped, sold out, stupid. Suspicions of some nefarious larger purpose are raised immediately.

Re:Blinded By Hate

[dnoyeb]

I agree. Its win-win. Don't be a playa hater! I came up on microsoft. Many today will come up on linux. But many wont come up at all till they get to college.

Its a great idea!

We know they will learn almost exclusively microsoft products, but thats ok. They will be learning computers.

I wonder if Microsoft will eliminate their auditing for the school out of fear that they too would be found with 'illegal copies' of Microsoft products...

Re:Blinded By Hate

[Blob Pet]

I question it.

Anyone remember this?

Re:Blinded By Hate

[BJZQ8]

Being in education, I think it's wonderful that Microsoft is handing out some technology...but it is the "catches" that worry me. You can be guaranteed that no computer in the district will be allowed to run ANYTHING but Microsoft software...anything else will be a breach of the Terms&Conditions that everyone will be forced into signing. This is just a ploy to draw mindless Technical Directors and Coordinators into the false sense of security that Microsoft offers...since these people, with the backing of hundreds of Microsoft Engineers, made it work, then certainly it would work for our district too! I've seen that mentality in action, and this will only further it.

Re:Blinded By Hate

[mj01nir]

I work with one of those inner city schools, let me tell you that there are many other ways available to fund technology. The IT manager there applies for and pursues every fund, grant, gift, and loan for technology. He gets many of them. The kids in his district have access to:

Computers in nearly every classroom from elementry to high school. (Nice ones, trust me).
OC-3 Internet access.
Internet 2 access (T3 IIRC).
Lots of tech training for the district's teachers.
Library automation.

Basically, just about everything that a school would need and then some. His kids are well taken care of.

Re:Blinded By Hate

[mj01nir]

Microsoft is not enabling this. ...Philadelphia is still footing the bill.

Yup, and MS gets to look like a hero for donating their consulting services, which will amount to "Buy Microsoft products". Favorite line from the article:

The company's reward is the opportunity to design a school using technology in every way possible from the ground up - a prototype it could then market.

Yippie. So they want to use a school as a facility to assemble a new product. Glad that they have the kids' best interest in mind!

Re:Blinded By Hate

[hellfire]

Double-standard red herring... caught ya!

Remember, Microsoft is a monopoly. They play by different rules. If Coke was a monopoly with 90%+ marketshare, you bet the government would be denying them any contracts to "extend" their reach into schools.

If Microsoft and Apple were 50/50 in overall dominance, it would simply be competition. Otherwise, Microsoft should be highly scrutinized when it comes to anti-competitive behavior.

A few things we can be sure of

[KingDaveRa]

1. Their network will go down when the next worm appears

2. All kids will have an irrational hatred for penguins.

3. Apple? Who?

Re:A few things we can be sure of

[AbbyNormal]

Graduation will now be known as "Upgrading" or "Security Patching".

Corporate Sponsorship in Schools

[byolinux]

I thought many other US Schools were sponsored by soft drink companies, by sports-goods companies, etc.

I heard of a case where a kid at a Pepsi-School was sent home after drinking a Coke.

Perhaps the same will happen with Linux and Mac OS X users at Microsoft School.

Article about Corporate Coke here.

Re:Corporate Sponsorship in Schools

[Kierthos]

Sent home after drinking a Coke? You must be kidding me...

Okay, we had a soda machine at my high school. I think it was a Pepsi machine, but I honestly can't recall. But it was just one machine, and it was not in the cafeteria, so it was not "tempting" people to buy ye olde nasty carbonated sludge.

Would someone at my high school have been sent home for drinking a Coke? Shit no. They could have brought it from home. Now, we did have people expelled for drinking JD when they should have been in class....

Frankly, if a corp wants to buy a shitload of computers or educational material for a school, fine by me. As long as it meets or exceeds the standards set by the local school board, I have no problem with it whatsoever, especially if it's helping a poorer school district.

Is this automatically going to give rise to a bunch of pro-MS kids? Doubtful. If anything, it will most likely lead to those kids learning computers a bit better, as they try and bypass whatever firewalls or censor-ware are on the computer to get to the pr0n. (Also, I see a lot of firesharing in this school's future. They can go ahead and combine student ID's with the RIAA's crap-tastic idea for "amnesty".)

Kierthos

Re:Corporate Sponsorship in Schools

[Radon Knight]

> Sent home after drinking a Coke? You must be kidding
> me...

I remember something about this. A quick Google turned up the following blurb. I don't know that this is true (a little more digging should confirm/reject it):

Greenbrier High School in Evans, Georgia had sponsored a "Coke in Education Day" in order to win $500 from the Coca-Cola company. One kid (Michael Cameron) wore a Pepsi shirt to school to protest and was suspended.

So, the report, albeit incorrect, was not *that* far off the mark. And the above story of Greenbrier High School, if true, is very worrisome.

"Admission will not be based on academic ablility"

[Greyfox]

Sounds like they're putting the kids on a fast track for an MCSE.

A Win Win

[OfficerNoGun]

I'm sure Microsoft gets something out of this, like tax breaks, free beta testing etc, but that really isn't the point. Philadelphia schools are about the most missmanaged, poor schools in the country, They're constantly low on funds despite paying about half as much per student as the surrounding suburbian schools. The technology situatuation is usually a computer for every few classes, and its 5 years old. This is most likely to become one of the better if not best schools in the district. But if some of this 46million doesnt go to support and training of the students and teachers, its gonna be money that was wasted.

The Awkward Years of Obsolescence

[robbway]

The biggest barrier with a school like this is the incredible cost of keeping it state-of-the-art. The budget will have to be very high and have a swap-out plan to bring in faster systems and the latest software. If the money and/or support for such and upgrade plan is there, it can survive. However, some politician will probably see this as a pork barrel for some other politician and leave the school in some sort of "Beta version."

Inner City

[SilentReproach]

IMO, forget the technology. Anyone who has seen the kind of life students have in the inner city can appreciate that a top notch new facility is a blessing, Microsoft or not.

Now, if they were plunking a school in a suburb that was doing just fine without them, I'd question their motives. But, in this case, I'd have to think this is at best, altruism on Microsoft's part, or at worst, advertising money well spent.

Corporations

[SuperBanana]

Especially with all of the negative press that Microsoft has had recently, is this an attempt to do some good and help out those who cannot afford private school? Or is Microsoft just making sure that they secure themselves another generation of coders/admins/users?

Like every other corporation on the face of the planet, they don't blink unless (they think) it's in their best interests.

I hate it when people "support"(buy from) a corporation because they get warm fuzzies from that company "supporting"(tossing a measly hundredth or thousandth of a percent of their profits to) a cause. Does BMW give a crap about breast cancer? No. Like all the other corporations that support "breast cancer research", they're basically just looking to get women to buy stuff from them.

"Buy ________, we support ______ by donating* to the __________ foundation of America!"

(*1/10th of a percent of the net profit of this product, minus taxes, executive bonuses, kickbacks, and of course some good old fashioned book cooking)

don't complain that they're the only ones offering

[loveandpeace]

Bill Gates can build all the schools he wants to and Linux can't for one reason and one reason only: Windows makes an offer. Bill and Melinda have built a foundation with grants galore for the implementation of the Windows system. Whether you see it as gifting technology to the masses or corrupting the youth to the product, the point remains that public schools would gladly take the technology no matter who offers it. And these days, it's not as though anyone in the non-Windows world is giving the schools a whole lot of alternatives.

The solution: quit complaining about the philathropic efforts of Windows and start an Open Source Foundation. Have an endowed fund and accept grant applications. Built it. They will come.

Re:It smells...

[mike_mgo]

From the article:

It will be one of 11 new high schools to be funded by the district's five-year $1.5 billion capital plan.

Microsoft's contribution will not be monetary, but services worth millions of dollars, including a full-time on-site project manager, planning and design expertise, staff training and ongoing technology support.

The company's reward is the opportunity to design a school using technology in every way possible from the ground up - a prototype it could then market.

"Microsoft came here because we asked, simple as that," Vallas said.

For those who might criticize such a corporate presence in a public school, district officials emphasized that Microsoft will not manage the school.

It seems to me, based on the article, that MS is not funding the building of the school other than providing the technology and then continuning to provide support and advice for the school. Sure, Microsoft is getting something out of the deal but I don't remember reading where a good or charitable deed had to be completely selfless. Yes they may get tax breaks, a foot in the door to other districts and have a customer for future products at this school. But so what, they are providing a substatial benefit to the students at this school.

Pepsi on Coke Day story is true.

[Simon]

It's mentioned and referenced in "No Logo" by Naomi Klein. Her reference for the story is from "Associated Press, 25 March 1998".

Here is the first link from Google on the subject:

http://www.noveltynet.org/content/paranormal/www.p arascope.com/articles/cnews/980325.htm

I very strongly recommend that everyone read "No Logo". Brands in education is a problem.

--
Simon

How is it bad to have access to technology?

[SlashDotForever]

What happens to the kids that won't get access just because someone makes some sort of arbitray ethical decision? The world is full of huge contradictions and paradoxes. If this gives these kids the chance to use computers and be comfortable with technology, why don't we trust the rest of the school system to teach them to think and make their own choices as they grow. The experience is more important then the who or what.