That has forced some to trim budgets, forego other equipment or programs and rely heavily on contributions from parents, alumni and community leaders. Without the donation of a computer lab in 1992, the Hunter McGuire School in Verona might still be using its outdated Apple IIs. And because members of its first graduating class have barely reached their mid-20s, alumni support is understandably weak. It's been a priority because it's what parents demand. You have what really amounts to a digital divide.
Public schools can tap tax dollars.
Private schools across the country are hoping the federal Telecommunications Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, will help close the gap. The act provides subsidies to both public and private schools for such things as Internet access and high-tech equipment. Although most schools plan to apply for the funding, some say it will only be a drop in the bucket. The school didn't wait around for an act of Congress, but Andrew Bauserman, the academy's director of technology services, would be happy to have any modest amount the federal government may offer in the future. Once the equipment was in, the challenge was figuring out how technology was going to fit into the school's well-established curriculum.