Ann Arbor Schools Want $45M For Tech, Partly For Computers To Run Google Docs

An anonymous reader writes "The Ann Arbor Public Schools defended their request for a $45 million bond for new computers by claiming that Apple eMacs aren't good enough for their Advanced Journalism class. A teacher told reporters that new PCs are needed to run WordPress, Google Docs, and Adobe InDesign CS6. WordPress and Google Docs are server-based applications that can be accessed with nearly any web browser. InDesign CS6 has not been released yet and its system requirements are unknown. As a web developer, I am impressed by the online newspaper published by the journalism class, but I question the need for new hardware. The district previously claimed that the old computers couldn't run its standardized testing software, although they far surpass the vendor's specifications. Does modern education really require cutting-edge computers, or are schools screaming 'think of the children' to win over tech-illiterate voters?" Whatever the answer to that question, exaggerated system requirements aren't the only driving force; the $45 million bond sought would not be dedicated only to replacing journalism program computers, note; it would also be used to fund other infrastructure upgrades, including some lower-tech updates, like new sound amplifiers in the district's classrooms. Ann Arbor schools' web site says that the district has (as of 2010, at least) 16,440 students. What are tech outlays like in the public schools where you live?

Comments

eMacs?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple stopped production on the eMac line back in 2006. Assuming they got the last one for sale, that means a 6 year lifespan. Sounds like they're due for a replacement.

Re:Seems a little inflated...

[JBMcB]

" They have strong incentives to be wasteful."
STFU. I word with civil servants, and they are far, FAR more responsible with money then people in the private sector.

LOL really? Travel about 50 miles due east to the wonderful world of the Detroit Public school system. Just Google them to see how insanely wasteful that district is. They built a brand new campus for one of it's better high schools, and replaced *everything* The old building was left full of lab equipment and textbooks - to rot. Some of it was new. They had an entire warehouse full of brand new office supplies and textbooks that was left to rot as well. When an EFM was brought in a couple of years ago, he found rampant fraud and mismanagement throughout the entire system - to the point where the district had no idea how much it owed to suppliers.

Now travel forty miles north to Pontiac, MI. A recent review of their school system's finances revealed $135,000,000 in unaccounted transactions over a four year span in the 2000s. That's $135 million in money spent - and they have *no idea* where it went. The average number of irregularities in an audit of that size is maybe a couple dozen. There were over 28,000. There were $200,000 in payroll irregularities, which should *never* happen. The city had the report completed two years ago, and they kept it under wraps and did nothing about it in that time span.

I could go on and on. The pressure to limit waste in private enterprise is clear - less waste equals more profit. There is no profit motive in the public sector. The reverse is true - the more you spend the more budget you get. If you are a politician you can legally buy votes by cranking up pension benefits that you won't have to worry about funding. It's a broken system.