State funds high school technology

WESTFALL — Delaware Valley was awarded $587,644 when Governor Ed Rendell recently announced the expansion of Pennsylvania’s innovative Classrooms for the Future technology initiative for this school year. The expansion of the program means high school students in 303 of the state’s 501 school districts will be able to begin using laptop computers and other high-tech tools to improve their learning and better prepare for future success. Classrooms for the Future is a three-year investment to provide laptop computers, high-speed Internet access and state-of-the-art software to high school classrooms across the state. Under Governor Rendell’s plan, every high school would be part of Classrooms for the Future by 2009. The 2007-08 budget signed by Governor Rendell in July allocates $90 million to provide the 255 high schools with 83,000 laptop computers and related equipment. It also invests $11 million in high-quality professional development for 12,100 teachers in new Classrooms for the Future high schools. That money, coupled with $2 million in federal funds, will enable each Classrooms for the Future high school to receive $30,000 for staff development.