﻿From:	Daniel Bolton <dan_bolton@worldnet.att.net>
Sent:	Tuesday, January 11, 2005 10:38:47 PM
To:	Jeb Bush <jeb@jeb.org>
Subject:	Tools for Schools

Dear Governor,
 
Per your previous suggestion, it was recommended I present an idea to the DOE. I have not been afforded an audience at the proper level over there. The players either  keep changing, are inundated with activity or unwilling to act "out of the box". Please allow me to briefly explain what we have in mind to assist the state of Florida's schools. If warranted, hopefully your office can champion this effort forward as a joint public/private partnership. 
 
Our LEAP program captures recently new technology through corporate usage partnerships. The technology coming back averages 2.5 years of age (1 GHz unit running Win XP). These fully refurbished and re-warranted tools with monitors are network capable and 99% education software complaint. In a nutshell, what this effort does is it affords school districts and underprivileged communities (Digital Divide) the ability to avoid a $800 to $1000 expense for a new machine in favor of receiving a brand name high quality "recently new" tool for one-fourth the expense ($200 to $250).  
 
In most of Florida's schools, technology is currently being used until it breaks (10-12 years on average). Computers should only be used for 8 years max. With that in mind, the LEAP program can deliver 4 units with 5.5 years of service (22 years of total life) verses the alternative of acquiring new tools (8 years of life). A greater than 250% economic empowerment can be provided to economic struggling areas by simply using existing funds more wisely to acquire technology. Twenty million spent to acquire tech through this effort can empower a $50,000,000 value to be received. 
 
Not everyone likes this idea. Duval and Broward didn't. Now both are facing huge infrastructure problems left by previous IT leaders that will require future massive funding allocations to fix. Vendors also don't like us because a 501 (c)(3) charity is taking away some of their revenue. But, many school districts do like us (Orange, Palm Beach, Levy, Gilchrist, Dixie, Putnam, etc). We have assisted them to affordably refresh their old gear with newer tools and to place technology into classrooms where it previously didn't exist. In Orange County, you and Arnold S of Calif. (before he became Gov.) visited Maxey Elementary and Carver Middle Schools where some of our tools have gone (2 of the over 300 facilities throughout the South). Like these visited schools, the greatest percentage of older computers in classrooms reside in poorer areas. A digital divide exists inside of our public schools as much as it does in the community. Lack of tech or quality tools is but one reason why minority areas have poorer rated schools. 
 
The concept behind the LEAP program is to be a technology economic equalizer alternative for struggling communities. The effort is not about pleading for massive new funding to solve a problem. Rather, it is about using existing funds more wisely and efficiently to create benefit to solve a problem.  Schools in wealthier communities (having corporate & community support) may not need this help. Underprivileged areas without robust PTA & other outside support lack the ability to keep technology current. This leads to obsolete tools staying in the system and/or districts having to selectively choose which classrooms will go without computers. We invisibly assist many of these facilities (like Carver, Maxey, Milwee, I Have A Dream, Project Child, A Gift for Teaching, Alternative Schools, Charter/Choice Schools, the Florida Learning Alliance, etc.) to get the technology to reverse some of the inequalities. 
 
The LEAP methodology is proven and the program has already produced millions in benefit. The idea and concept has been reviewed and favorably endorsed by the Univ. of Florida, IT Florida (Rick Kearney) and Harvard Alumni. Our organization, Angels Helping Hands, has remained an invisible facilitator to help communities in need.  We are backed by wealthy families and corporate/philanthropic partners. We have enjoyed doing what we do. The LEAP program has always been envisioned as a joint public-private effort, simply because public schools have been, are and will be the biggest recipients. Government cannot run a venture like this (tried and failed already), so if the state wants this effort, a benevolent facilitator with the know-how to work in a flexible, timely & business-like manner is required to secure the valuable technology. 
 
Per our board decision, we are moving away from supporting public schools. Angels Helping Hands last year proposed to the state a joint partnership and collaboration to grow this effort. This proposal went nowhere. What is at stake for the public area is the ability to gain $50 to $100 million in technology benefit for schools over the next 15 years. I wanted to give it one last attempt to get someone's attention. A few things have changed but the concept and potential results of this proposal remain valid. Our request was for $1,500,000 in state support over 15 years. This $100,000/year state allocation would go into the facilitation efforts that will eventually be operating at close to $2,000,000 annually to capture 40,000 computer a year so to create $5 to $8 million in benevolence. The majority of expenses are covered by corporate/philanthropic partners in the coalition and the state's public schools were to be the benefactors. The  trade off value was $1,500,000 of state funds to enable school districts to receive a minimum of $50,000,000 in net benefit. A pretty decent leveraged return and we didn't even get a call back from the DOE! Please give me some direction and support if this endeavor is to remain serving Florida's public schools.
 
As a charitable director focused on helping the underprivileged through technology, I am mindful of the limited scope of this issue in relationship to the other problems being faced by your office and throughout the world. Our effort to empower the underserved and to improve government efficiency has its place, but it pales in comparison to other things, especially the tragedy occurring in Indonesia and India. Having watched your action with the Hurricanes and with the Southeast Asia catastrophe, I commend you for your humility and energy to help others in need. Thank you for being a good human being and for your consideration on our little proactive matter.
 
Dan Bolton
Executive Director
Angels Helping Hands   
 

AHHFC is the Administrator of the LEAP program, a technology initiative to assist public and underprivileged education facilities to improve their technology-based learning capacities. LEAP is a collaboration involving over 30 large corporate partners, 185 education entities throughout Florida, Alabama, Georgia & South Carolina, the State Technology Office for Digital Divide Communities and Inclusion, the University of Florida, IT Florida, the Department of Corrections-Computers for Florida's Kids program, the Business Council of Alabama, supporting Angel Investors and Foundations.

