March 18, 2004                                                                                                      

              Lansing – The Michigan Department of Education announced today the awarding of 30 grants for the Freedom To Learn (FTL) program.  The grants to school districts will enable 11,826 Michigan students to participate in a totally integrated education solution that provides districts with wireless computers, technical support, software, professional development for educators, and course content and assessments.

Another 2,347 students are slated to participate when their districts have completed a readiness program using additional technology development funds through the program.

The FTL program is jointly coordinated by the Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Virtual University.  “It’s exciting to announce these grants,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins.  “Getting this technology into the hands of students is an important tool to prepare them to compete in a global, 21^st Century economy and help change the nature of teaching and learning in Michigan."

             Today’s announcement allocates $6,623,700 of the available $17 million in federal funds to 23 newly eligible school districts and seven programs that served as demonstration sites over the past year.  “We will continue to invest these federal resources in future rounds of grants,” Watkins explained.

             The 2003-04 program targets middle school students with an emphasis on sixth graders. In 2002-03, more than 7,000 students participated in the program's Demonstration Phase, a pilot for the current program.

To be eligible for the grant, districts making application must have had a poverty level above the state average and at least one school building identified for improvement

or corrective action under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

A total of 82 grant applications were submitted through the Michigan Electronic Grants System (MEGS) with 30 meeting the eligibility guidelines.

In order to achieve economies of scale and significant cost savings, the state chose

a single partner-provider for the program.  Hewlett Packard was selected through a bidding process.  The participating school districts are eligible now for four years of funding at $250 per computer, while providing an annual contribution of $25 per computer on its own plus funding for professional development.

Hewlett Packard has created a website for Freedom to Learn participants. Once informed of their awards, districts will go to that website to fill out their order and begin the process. Once they have signed a lease agreement and issued a purchase order, the state will distribute the funds to the districts. School districts will be responsible for their own leases and for paying $275 per unit ($250 plus the $25 co-pay) to Hewlett Packard.

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Information about the program is on the Freedom to Learn Web site at

http://wireless.mivu.org.

*  This grant to Berrien ISD’s will be used to provide professional development resources to all of the grant recipients.