School Computer Deal Includes Families

By Andrew Trotter

It's a controversial practice, but school districts that plan a major computer purchase can sometimes get a substantial price break by signing an exclusive long-term contract with one supplier—especially if the district is large and growing—and, as is now the case, the overall market for computers has stalled.

That's exactly what happened in Florida last month, when the Hillsborough County district, which includes Tampa and serves 160,000 students, signed a five-year exclusive contract with Compaq Computer Corp. and several software partners that is worth an estimated $50 million.

The agreement not only gets the district rock-bottom prices on the Houston-based company's latest computers, but by including students and their families in the deal it also breaks new ground in school purchasing, according to experts in education...