With this news report, is there any doubt there needs to be some 'checks zzz balances' from an outside independent source? Is this part of the much talked about Norris NGLP? Or said, what else is going on over there? Let us be thankful the press is doing it's job with such news reports. Yes, some citizens oversight is needed - and soon!

Bob Hanson - School Board and Board of County Commissioners CIO - has got to be the worst communicator I have seen in my long IT career. He has systematically alienated virtually everyone at the School Board and the BCC, including his own management team. He refuses to meet with the teachers or BCC management to hear their complaints, he makes up statistics regarding his teams performance, and he refuses to get involved to find out how much waste his department contributes to the County's bottom line. He makes decisions based on hunches and bad assumptions. The only fan he has at the BCC is Jim Ley. It is too bad Jim is such a bad communicator too or he might recognize Bob's Bull! Hanson is a divisive team killer and has worn out his welcome. In closing it is too bad the Budget Review Panel didn't do a better job of looking into his relationships with MethodFactory and Vitil Solutions He has thrown way too much money their way and one has to wonder what he has received from them in return. Our kids our being cheated out of the best technology at the schools (mac computers) because Bob is too stubborn to admit he is wrong.

Do you mean $50,000 based on initial purchase price of the computers, or based on possible resale prices? Quite the important difference.

$50,000 divided by 190 computers equals $263 per computer. I think that is low for the used Mac laptops. eBay "Buy It Now" auctions show working Apple Mac iBook G3s and G4s being offered for between $200 and $450 depending on age and condition. The prices for eMacs and older iMacs would be less. My guesstimate, based on the eBay prices is that the 190 computers being scrapped could be sold for around $40,000. That's nothing to be sneezed at. California IT consultant.

Further comment... emacs offered in "Buy It Now" auctions going from between $69 and $200 depending on condition, features, and CPU speed. Working 5 year old iMac G4s are being offered for between $129 and $275, again dependent on condition, features, and speed. It is foolish to scrap good working computers.

I am astounded that anyone made a comment on the $50,000.00 asking if that was the original cost and the statement about what ibooks are seeling for on ebay. Both topics were covered in the article. The $50,000.00 was what these used Macs are worth on the internet based on ebay prices which also mentioned that used ibooks sell for between $350-$500. Did anyone read the entire article or just a quick scan? The entire article is perfectly clear and concise and that school board and perhaps the entire administration needs to be replaced. Macs rule. I have two (2) G-4's sitting here beside. One is exclusively my recording studio and the other is my main machine. Both have been upgraded to their maximum capacity and will smoke any PC around but the Macheads out there already know that.

"All of the machines are still working," said one. "The teachers asked if they could buy them or give them to the kids. We were told, ‘No.’" "At press time, the school district had not been able to provide the name or location of the salvage company, the bid price or terms of the contract." While there are other factors, as pointed out earlier, the cynic in me asks if the owner of the salvage company is a relative/friend of the decision makers, and, is the contract written so that the salvager can't turn around and sell them on eBay himself? I would think the school could find some volunteer computer-familiar retired people to do the disk-erasing job. When I was a volunteer reading tutor, the teachers were happy to get me and any books I donated. It seems like there are many other viable solutions than just junking them.

Make sure you guys bring this up during the next School Board Elections. Wasting money-or more literally, throwing away money- is a very hot bullet point in today's economic climate. and seriously "Erm.." RTFA

The loss of resale money aside, why was this policy implemented in the first place? Was the superintendent also the head of IT?

Y'all need to add on the cost of the new computers breaking down, the cost of customer support, etc. There's a reason those old Macs still worked.

Apple also has leasing plans designed for education and software for education with a bona-fied education store. HP, while selling computers, makes more money from printers. What a great choice by a biased management and a decision that will only hurt the students and the taxpayers.

This story demonstrates countless levels of stupidity. First, going "PC only" because "that's what 'business' uses' (a common justification) is an asinine defense. The operating systems that these kids will be using 10-15 years from now will be vastly different from *either* the current Mac *or* Windows OS's. Both systems train students in the basics of personal computing, and learning both environments (as well as Linux, if possible) is a healthy thing, as it gives them a wider range of education on computers in general. Secondly, the point of schools is to *teach* things. No one tries to argue for eliminating French or Spanish from the Language Department just because "most" people in the U.S. speak English. Mac OS X use is on the *rise* worldwide, whether through their desktops, laptops or especially the iPhone, so schools should be devoting *more* resources to teaching it, not less. Third, claiming that "that's what 'business' uses" is nonsense. Going into film, video or music production? How about graphic design? Guess what, these are all fields where Macs either dominate completely or have a solid chunk of the market. Are none of these fields considered "businesses"? I think Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures would disagree. Fourth, OK, so the computers are outdated and need to be replaced. Even if you're going to replace them with Windows PCs, at least let the teachers/students buy them, or give them to those in need. It won't cost the schools a dime, and will likely make them a few bucks. The argument about "protecting data" or "not having software licenses" is also nonsense--as the article states, just a few clicks with Disk Utility will wipe the drive cleanly in minutes. Instead, you're gonna pay thousands of dollars to a scrap company to haul them away and destroy perfectly good computers? How do you know *they* won't swipe "sensitive data" from the hard drives before crushing them, or that they won't resell them on eBay themselves? Idiocy all around.

I know alot of people who would gladly buy some of those computers includng me. This sucks

The Sarasota County school district is going with PC laptops for teachers to have a unified record keeping system in the district. Going to a single system for record keeping is much more economical and efficient. MACs will can still be used for classes where they are more appropriate. Most of these computers are between 5 and 10 years old, some even older. Any computer that is still in good working condition will be scrubbed and given to students to use at home. Teachers couldn't just keep their old laptops because we would have to scrub off all data and programs. We can't let them keep student information on a computer that is not owned and controlled by the district. Computers that can't be reused are being recycled. The district will get a small fee for this. It will not cost the district anything to store them, haul them away or scrub them and then find someone to manage an online sale of them.

S Brown-- First, a MAC is a Media Access Control address. A Mac generally refers to an Apple Macintosh computer. Small point, but one which always irritates me. Second, what you're saying sounds completely contrary to the article, which certainly makes it sound like the Macs are going to be scrapped, and specifically *won't* be given/sold to students or teachers. If you're correct about this, of course, that's great news. Third, again, all that has to be done is to wipe the drives, which takes all of 2 minutes (or an hour or so, if you choose the "7 pass zeroing" method for extra paranoia). Hardly a major undertaking.

This is beyond dumb. Quite aside from the waste of perfectly working equipment ... or the chance for the district to create some badly-needed revenue ... or the opportunity to enrich the lives of poor students with free hand-me-down computer ... etc etc etc ... The fact of the matter is, as any real nerd will tell you, the future is not about "operating systems" at all. It's about the web. Kids today will be internet-connected adults working on most platform-independent ways, often using data from "the cloud" rather than local systems. So going "all PC" is nearly as stupid as going "all Mac," but for two important considerations: 1. Macs don't get viruses, and are highly resistant to other malware. The fact that the "scrap" machines are still working after years of "abuse" or at least "hard labour" in a school setting is a testament no PC manufacturer can offer. 2. In large part due to point #1, Macs do not require large IT departments to keep them serviced. I recall the head of IT at another Florida paper telling me that have 1 PC tech for every 45 PCs, and 1 Mac tech for every 300 Macs. This means the Total Cost of Ownership and Return on Investment for Macs is dramatically better. Seems to me that someone in the IT department has just locked in a lot of job security at the taxpayer's (and students') expense. I think it's time the taxpayers (who fund and thus empower these sorts of decisions) "do the math" and demand not less spending, but smarter spending.

When school administrators suffer from mental illness, they must be removed from charge, to minimize damages to the community, and cured. These people are going to personally pocket huge sums because of their decision, and that's raw greed. But they are going to salvage hundreds of working computers instead of even giving away them to people in need, and that's insanity.

Moronic superintendents and administrators....always giving education a bad name. No wonder teacher's don't get any respect from parents or kids.

Keep in mind the school board CIO recently been seen using an iPhone while the rest of the School Board and BCC employees use devices they are told to use. It seems like he believes he should have a choice of of technology platforms, but not so for the teachers. The CIO needs to know that in the school the teachers are the "business", and the business should decide the technology that is required to get the job done. The teachers know best what works in their classrooms. If having Macs in the classrooms helps kids learn faster and better than bring them on. The CIO has argued that Macs are more expensive to maintain than PCs. I say show us the data. Remember, the decision to use PCs and get rid of the Macs came directly from school board CIO, and he has proven he doesn't care what the teachers think.

The question is why do we need high paid administrators when the teachers do everything that is needed. Cut out the middle men.

The CIO is not an educator and never has been. He DID cut management. I heard he cut all the IT management and the teachers, students and most district staff will suffer from this move. As long as he is allowed to bully the powers that be, he will run the IT section by personal preference rather than by business sense. He is the Pied Piper of IT.

Sounds like the real story is the IT Admin wanting to "dump" these "useless" hunks on some "friendly" salvage company buddy! Better look into a lease arrangement and get cyclical upgrades. Remember the FAA BUYING their computer systems, then being stuck with outdated equipment 15 or 20 years later.

WOW, I never realized there were so many technology experts and economists in Sarasota County………..

All that S Brown has mentioned in her above statement is true. This was an awful article that was not written on complete facts but rather "assumptions" and we all know where that leads us to.

EARTH OCEAN HEAVENS Contact: Linda Ohlson Graham FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Email: eoheavens@Comcast.net Web sites: www.earthoceanheavens.com www.lindaohlsongraham.com LINDA OHLSON GRAHAM WILL SHARE ‘HOW TO CREATE WORLD PEACE’ POETRY/WRITING at the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center’s 2009 Holiday Event Boulder’s Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center has invited Linda Ohlson Graham (formally of Sarasota, FL <2001-2006> ) to share some of her HOW to Create WORLD PEACE and bring THE END to Global Warming writing/poetry at their holiday event Saturday Dec. 12th, 2009 … 6-9 PM at Unity of Boulder, 2855 Folsum St. More information re: this –Holiday Event- below. About Linda: 1) Linda Ohlson Graham* of Boulder, CO is an award-winning fine photographer and ecstatic poet. See the -Exhibits page- of www.lindaohlsongraham.com and the –News- page of www.earthoceanheavens.com. Some of Linda’s (and God’s) poetry/writing can be viewed on www.lindaohlsongraham.com’s –Home- –Writings- -Poems- pages. 2) Barbara Rivera is the co Colorado State Co-ordinator for the Campaign to establish a US Department of Peace. An event was created by Barbara to celebrate CO artists whose work –reflects and speaks of Peace-. Linda was introduced by Barbara at the VISIONS of PEACE opening reception and Oct. events (viewable @ www.codopcampaign.org/submitonline/displayP.php). as The Colorado Department of Peace Poet Laureate. Linda has been the Department of Peace CD2 co-ordinator since April, 2008. She was able to attend the DoP National Conference in Arlington, VA Mar. 2009 Linda led a lobbying team in Congressman Jared Polis’s DC office with his legislative assistant: Conchita Cruz. Congressman Polis signed H.R. 808 that Fri. ……………………………. A friend and CU professor, Cathy Comstock, said she will work to nominate Linda as <US Peace Poet Laureate>. ……………………………. Another person mentioned to Linda that she deserves to get a <Nobel Peace Prize>. re: the RMPJC HOLIDAY PARTY: RMPJC's Annual Holiday Event. Please join RMPJC Saturday, December 12th, 2009, from 6 - 9 PM, for RMPJC's Annual Holiday Event, and the presentation of the 2009 Elise Boulding Peacemaker of the Year Award to Ghada Elturk, a tireless advocate for human rights and justice for all people. Ghada is the Outreach Coordinator for the Boulder Public Library. In addition to her exemplary work at the Library, she is an outstanding poet, and works tirelessly for justice, and for the removal of the barriers which keep our community from being inclusive of everyone, and welcoming to all. There will be a silent auction of many lovely gift items, Middle Eastern Music, and Poetry by Jack Collom, Linda Ohlson Graham, and, of course, Ghada, herself. Vegan appetizers, vegan chili, bread and desserts will be served. At 8:00 PM there will be the drawing for the lucky winner of our raffle prize, the Awesome Zapino Motor Scooter! If you have not yet purchased your raffle tickets, you may send RMPJC a check and they will mail raffle tickets to you, or you may purchase them the night of the 12th at the event, up until the drawing at 8:00 PM . Tickets are $5 for one, $10 for 3, and $20 for 6. Donations of $15 - $50 greatly appreciated to support RMPJC's work. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. ### If you would like more information re: the RMPJC Dec. 12 event … please email Linda @ eoheavens@comcast.net or call Betty @ RMPJC: 303-444-6981. If you would like more information re: other topics mentioned here, please email Linda @ eoheavens@comcast.net..