Community News Microsoft Lawsuit Pays Off for Schools
8/18/2006
Area schools will be receiving an economic boost, after Florida Education Commissioner John L. Winn announced today that eligible Florida public schools would receive more than $80 million in technology funding from Microsoft as a result of a 2003 class action lawsuit settlement.
Funds will be distributed in the form of vouchers school districts may use to receive reimbursement for purchases of any manufacturer's desktop, laptop or tablet computers running any operating system, or software used with those computer products.

• Bay—$890,660
• Franklin—$98,782
• Gulf—$84,428
• Okaloosa—$315,549
• Santa Rosa—$254,132
• Walton—$275,663

"These funds give Florida a unique opportunity to bolster and expand technology use for students," said Winn. "By utilizing technology to educate students, we better prepare them to compete in the global marketplace."
Schools will be able to use these vouchers to receive reimbursement for the purchase of a wide range of computer equipment, software and training from any manufacturer. To qualify, a school must have at least half of its students during the 2004-2005 school year eligible for free and reduced price lunch.
Signed in April 2003, the settlement resolved class action lawsuits that alleged Microsoft violated Florida's antitrust laws. The settlement provided benefits to consumers and businesses that purchased licenses for Microsoft operating system, productivity suite, spreadsheet or word processing software between Nov. 16, 1995, and Dec. 31, 2002, for use in the state of Florida. A maximum amount of $202 million was available to Florida consumers and businesses.
Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft committed one-half of any unclaimed settlement funds to Florida's public schools in the form of vouchers.


--8/18, emeraldcoast.com

Yea man! Congrats Bay!

Here comes some disgruntled teachers.