As has happened with other K-12 initiatives in Alabama, politics have thrown the state's school technology plan into limbo. In February, the Alabama board of education approved an ambitious vision for infusing technology into elementary and secondary education. But in June, the legislature balked at the price tag, leaving the plan with an uncertain future. Join our on-line Town Meeting to discuss what role technology should play in education reform. The need is great in a poor state like Alabama for nearly every type of school improvement, including technology.
Computers are hard to come by at many schools, and much of the equipment is outdated.
Most teachers lack a computer workstation, not to mention Internet access for themselves or their students. There are few electronic connections between schools and postsecondary institutions, and most school records are transferred by hand. 12 percent See description of terms . But the powerful Alabama Education Association objected to the notion of the state making payments on the bond over 20 years for technology that it said would be obsolete within five years. And both that group and Lt. Gov. Don Siegelman, a Democrat, argued that state money could be better spent on ridding schools of some of their nearly 3,000 portable classrooms.