From Kaitlyn Krasselt, CT Post:
The governing board of the Partnership For Connecticut voted unanimously via teleconference Tuesday morning to spend $24 million on the purchase of 60,000 Dell laptops for high school students in the state, the first wave of which will be delivered to students in May.
The move marks the partnership’s first major expenditure since its formation was announced almost exactly one year ago. It saves millions of dollars off the expected price and, at a time when laptops are in high demand, could be faster than what a straight government purchase would bring.
Although the effort is a response to the COVID-19 coronavirus public health crisis, which has sidelined students throughout the state for the foreseeable future, philanthropist Barbara Dalio said the speedy purchase and delivery of computers to the most vulnerable high school students in Connecticut is exactly the kind of thing the partnership–and her private efforts before that–were designed to do in the first place.
… All 33 of the state’s alliance districts, generally those with the highest percentage of students from the lowest income households, have opted into the program. The order of distribution will be based on the severity of the need in each district. Bridgeport School District, for example, is a top priority given the lack of existing technology in the district.
Full story here.
