HP Goes ``Back to School'' in a Big Way in Georgia School Districts

As students in 15 Georgia school districts return to classrooms to start the new school year, they will be greeted by HP (NYSE:HPQ) equipment and services valued at more than $15 million to help them learn everything from history and mathematics to grammar and science. (See related news release, "HP Goes to Head of the Class with More Than $100 Million in New Education Sales.")

Spread across the state, the school districts are collectively deploying more than 12,000 pieces of new HP equipment, including desktop and notebook PCs, HP iPAQ Pocket PCs, servers, storage devices, switches and printers. The installations include maintenance services and enhanced warranty protection from HP as part of the packages.

"Progressive teachers and school system administrators are acutely aware of the value of information technology to the teaching and learning processes," said Jim Weynand, vice president and general manager, HP Public Sector Organization. "These school districts have made a commitment to their students through this technology, showing that they want Georgia youngsters to have the tools for academic success -- which ultimately benefits everyone in the state."

Houston County School System

In central Georgia, the Houston County School System is moving closer to its goal of maximizing the use of computers in each classroom under a $5 million technology enhancement project being implemented there. The project includes the installation of 2,000 Compaq Evo D510 desktop PCs and 1,100 Compaq Evo N1000V notebook PCs from HP to serve classrooms and offices in the district's 33 schools.

Fifty-five HP wireless PC carts equipped with HP 1200N network printers, each providing maximum flexibility for computer usage in a classroom setting, are being distributed to schools in the district as a part of the project. The equipment will support the technology needs of more than 22,200 students and 1,847 teachers and administrators in the system.

Troup County School System

Improved Internet access for students and teachers in the classroom and additional wireless computer labs are the result of a $3 million technology enhancement project in the Troup County School System. The project includes the installation of 2,500 Compaq Evo D500 desktop PCs, 300 Compaq Evo N180 notebook PCs, 17 HP ProLiant D360 servers and a variety of HP printers. Along with traditional computers, the district is providing key administrators and service personnel with the latest in handheld computing technology, the HP iPAQ Pocket PC.

One thousand teachers and administrators serve more than 11,000 students in the system. The new HP technology will replace IBM equipment that was deployed in earlier projects. With the installation of the new systems, all computers in Troup schools will be fewer than three years old and will operate on the latest platforms.

Clarke County School District

More than 900 teachers returning to classrooms in the 19 schools that constitute the Clarke County School District will be provided with Compaq Evo N1000V notebook PCs from HP for use in managing their teaching and administrative activities. The $1.3 million effort was undertaken to give teachers greater flexibility in applying technology both inside and outside the classroom. The ultimate goal of the system is to place a notebook PC in the hands of every teacher and administrator, as well as dramatically increase the number of notebook PCs available for the more than 12,000 students in the system.

Forsyth County Schools

To meet the needs of the county's burgeoning population, Forsyth County Schools have added more than 200 new classrooms this fall, including opening two elementary schools and a middle school. The school system is spending more than $1.5 million to outfit the new classrooms with a total of 1,400 Compaq Evo D500 desktop PCs and 12 wireless notebook carts, each containing 10 Compaq Evo N110 notebook PCs. The equipment will be used to reinforce the system's approach to student-centered learning.

In addition to the desktop and notebook PCs placed in the classrooms, the Forsyth district provided 160 teachers with a new Compaq Evo N110 notebook PC. This is in keeping with a long-standing practice of providing all teachers in the system with a portable computer to enhance their teaching. The district has several thousand HP systems already in place, uses HP extended warranty protection for its equipment and has been certified under the HP Self Maintainer program for servicing. Forsyth County's technology program was initiated and funded by the local community.

"The technology being used in these schools helps teachers create collaborative and engaging learning environments," said Dr. Billie Sherrod, associate superintendent for technology services, Georgia Department of Education. "As educators continue to incorporate technological innovation into their curriculums, they expand the learning experience for their students."

School officials say technology-rich classrooms are key to getting students comfortable using technology to solve problems. They note that computers in the classroom promote the development of technology-competent students, who often score higher on tests and are considered stronger candidates in the job market.

HP Lease Program

Each of the Georgia school districts mentioned above, along with school systems in the counties of Camden, Coweta, Dekalb, Dougherty, Echols, Lincoln, Tift and Walton, is taking advantage of an HP equipment lease program in some aspect of its technology effort.

The lease program enables the district to refresh its technology at pre-determined intervals, ensuring that classrooms and administrative offices are constantly equipped with technology considered current. An added advantage of the lease program is that school districts are relieved of the need to manage and fund the disposal of outdated equipment.

Logical Choice Technologies, Inc., a Duluth, Ga.-based HP partner company, is managing the contract fulfillment with each of the school districts.

About HP

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq Computer Corp. on May 3, 2002. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.

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