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TMO Reports - Decision to Drop School Macs Angers Boulder Voters
by , 8:00 AM EST, February 27th, 2006
Parents and residents in Colorado's Boulder Valley School District are up in arms over the board's decision to replace school Macs with Windows PCs, but this isn't a platform war. These voters are questioning the board's methods, claiming that the school district violated its own policies and deceived the voters that are footing the bill.
Voters in the district narrowly approved a ballot measure last fall that freed up money so the school district could replace aging computers and add additional workstations where needed. Currently, about 75 percent of the school computers are provided by Apple. The school board plans on spending US$2.5 million a year for four years to purchase about 2,000 new PCs annually.
That deal has been awarded to HP, and it appears that no other computer manufacturer, including Apple, was asked to provide a bid. The board's policy requires sealed bids that are opened publicly for any purchase over $10,000. The school board contends, however, HP had already provided a bid at the state level, and it could take advantage of that instead of opening its own bidding process.
According to statements school board officials made to The Daily Camera in Boulder, once the decision had been made to purchase Windows-based PCs only, "There was no reason to request a bid from Apple."
Many Boulder residents disagree. They are angry enough about the situation that it spurred them to launch their own Web site called BVSDWatch.org, and regularly attend school board meetings to voice their disapproval. Some voters have been concerned that the district is conducting "closed doors" meetings, so they started posting their own notes from the meetings they attend on the Web site's forums.
According to a statement on the Web site, the forums are anonymous, so anyone can voice their thoughts or concerns without fear of retribution.
TMO spoke with two of the site's founders, Andrew McIntosh and Mike McDaniel. Mr McIntosh is a Macintosh consultant in the Denver area; Mr. McDaniel is also a Mac consultant and father of Boulder Valley School District students. Mr. McIntosh commented "The administration is dictating what the teachers use, not the other way around. It's a 1950's mentality."
He also said that the voters aren't looking for a Mac-only classroom environment. Instead, they want the teachers to have the option of using Mac or Windows computers based on their needs.
Other residents are concerned about the potential for hidden costs once the transition to a Windows-only platform is complete. The BVSDWatch forums have numerous comments about fears of viruses, extended down time while waiting for tech support from the district's I.T. staff, as well as fewer application options for students and teachers.
Some have commented that they feel betrayed, stating that the district led them to believe that approving the ballot measure would lead to enhancements of the existing technology base, not an across-the-board replacement.
Mr. McDaniel said that the school board made its choice without involving the community, and that during one of the district's open forum board meetings, Deputy Superintendent Christopher King admitted "[The school district] should have had more meetings."
School board members told The Daily Camera "The PC platform should free up time for technical support staff, allowing them to address computer problems faster," and that "it's important for students without computers at home to learn how to use PCs."
Board member Teresa Steele commented "The right decision has been made."
Mr. McDaniel sees it differently. He said "They're not being good stewards of the money."
[To date, TMO's request for comments from Boulder Valley School District Members have not been returned.]Observer Comments
QuoteBoard Member wrote:
"it's important for students without computers at home to learn how to use PCs."
I didn't know there were still idiots like this out there.
Can he explain how clicking an icon to open Microsoft Word on a PC is so amazingly different from clicking an icon to open Microsoft Word on a Mac? This is almost as dumb as saying that you have to be specially taught how to drive different company's cars.
Good thing it isn't Mr. Windows...Mon Feb 27, 2006 1:59 pm Subject: Some of you guys are not getting the point...
These decisions are NEVER about educational matters, they are ALWAYS about growing the IT department at the expense of the kids in the schools. All managements want is BIG IT departments, so they can show off to the world their bigger-is-better brilliant organisation structure. They all know, especially the IT departments themselves, that you cannot grow a really big IT dept on Macs, you need Windows PCs for that. And when the IT dept has grown big, they will dictate how and what the PCs are used for in order to consolidate their position and grow even further.
The entire Windows marketing/technical architecture is based on this.
These are dick-swinging contests: My IT dept is bigger than yours. Managements like these things and they go for them as long as people are willing to foot the bills.
Amazing:
QuoteCynthia Stevenson, Jefferson County Schools Superintendant wrote:
As of January 2, 2006 the district will no longer purchase Macintosh computers. We will continue to support the existing Macintosh computers in our schools until their age exceeds our support model.
We have chosen to standardize our PC platform on the Microsoft Windows operating system because of the following reasons:
* The future of computing is moving towards the web and web based applications. Future versions of web applications may not work with Macs, due to the industry's movement away from Mac operating systems.
* Macs have limited capabilities with Microsoft Exchange Server, which is the district email standard.
* Apple server hardware was not designed for and is not reliable in a 24/7 environment.
* More platforms (hardware and operating systems) increase the amount of time it takes to test, install and support each environment.
* The district currently has over 60 different configurations to support, almost 40 of which are Macs. All schools will receive a higher level of service with less configurations to support.
Thank you again for your interest in our schools. If you have additional questions, please contact Marcia Bohannon, Chief Information Officer, at 303-982-6851.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Stevenson
Link to discussion
Mon Feb 27, 2006 4:20 pm Subject: previous Guest post was mine
Mon Feb 27, 2006 5:09 pm Subject: Not his real name!!
Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:08 pm Subject: I am tired of the ignorance..
..Some people still have about macs. It's unforgivable ignorance, or unforgivable treachery... I know a few who are just really pissed off that apple is doing so well. People who thought the mac was going to die off about 7-10 years ago... You know who you are...you were WRONG. HahaHAHA! Apple RULES. No two ways about it, APPLE RULES. Winblows SUCKS. I am nice to people who own a windows box and just don't know any better or are major penny pinchers and think that a 399$ dell will serve them well...They're the ones who will suffer. I used to crusade for mac, back then. Now we have as they say, "Breathing room", So I really just don't care...if the shoe fits... This Colorado case is too bad though, if I lived there and had kids in school, I would bust out the claymore yet again, and heads would ROLL. The MAC ATTACK IS BACK.
BTW, one of my jobs is as a barista, and at least 50% of the laptops brought in by patrons are Apple. NO LIE. Mostly ibooks, they are legion...
Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:46 pm Subject:
Oh please, no!
The desks and inmail boxes of less-than-friendly-to-Mac journalists and IT administrators are littered with Mac bigots saying that they are stupid and have no right to do and say as they do.
This is bollocks of course - they have every right. And one-eyed zealots aren't going to make a jot of difference. Cynthia Stevenson isn't going to say, "Oh, I made a mistake - let's go back to Apple." If anything, it's going to strengthen her feeling that Apple hardware is a mistake.
I believe she's wrong. You're convinced she's wrong. But don't call down a spamming crusade upon her.
Those who have the authority to tell her she's wrong are the parents and students who are affected. Not us. Let's have a good rant here, but don't propagate further the widely felt impression of Mac users as being knee-jerking immature 15-year-olds.
Hi all,
I, along with Mr. McIntosh, created the website www.bvsdwatch.org in reaction to the school district's poor decision. In a short amount of time I have heard countless stories from community members that point to a history of apathy, arrogance, and incompetent decision-making. My kids deserve better.
Thanks to everyone who has posted, we appreciate your support. I agree that this issue is best solved by the community members who are effected by the decision. However I would LOVE some suggestions on how outsiders could help our community. It can be daunting to rally support for something that people think they can't change. This way of administering a school district is status quo here (and many other places I'm sure) so people sometimes feel as helpless as any person living outside our community.
The internet is a valuable community itself, and I want to take advantage of everyone who is concerned and willing to help. One thing I think people could do is email board and admin members about their experiences, or send info on things you think they need to know about to be better informed.
Here are the email addresses of administrators and board members who would LOVE to hear from you... 
Just copy and paste this list into your email program and send a nice, but stern letter telling them how their ignorance will hurt student achievement and has violated the community's trust.
superintendent@bvsd.org , chris.king@bvsd.org, helayne.jones@bvsd.org , lesley.smith@bvsd.org , angelika.schroeder@bvsd.org , ken.roberge@bvsd.org , patti.smith@bvsd.org , jean.paxton@bvsd.org , teresa.steele@bvsd.org , robert.hammond@bvsd.org , chris.king@bvsd.org , dave.williamson@bvsd.org
If you can, please send a copy of this MacObserver story to as many people as you can.
Also we are making the website available as a template for anyone else who would like to create a school district accountability website in their community. If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested, please contact me.
Mac users are the best family anyone could ask for (smart and good looking too...). Thanks to everyone for their support, and know that we will be here for you when it's your turn... : )
Thanks,
Mike McDaniel
contactus@bvsdwatch.org
Sun Mar 05, 2006 8:12 pm Subject: HP facilities in Colorado give them political pull
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