Ky. Needs More Money for Technology, Panel Urges

By Peter West

Kentucky's effort to equip classrooms and school administrative offices with personal computers has been plagued with problems and may not meet its objectives without more money, a legislative oversight panel has charged.

Unless the state provides additional funds for the project, already estimated to cost $560 million, Kentucky will not meets its goal of providing one computer for every six students, the report concludes.

The state is one of two in which auditors have recently criticized large-scale efforts to upgrade computer technology in schools. In New York, an audit found that the state spent millions of dollars to develop financial and record-keeping software for schools, yet most districts found they could buy better systems...