ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 4, 1996 TAG: 9601040038
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
If Lee Cheatham had been buying computers, he wouldn't have bought the 11 surplus machines that were given to Franklin County schools by Gov. George Allen's administration shortly before November's election.
Still, the schools will use the computers in elementary schools to teach basic keyboarding skills, he said.
"They're not state-of-the-art equipment, but we're glad to get them," said Cheatham, business manager for Franklin County schools.
Some school systems say the pre-election giveaway of surplus computers left them with machines that are incompatible with what they already have or want, or that can't run available software.
Franklin County's computers are usable, but they're not compatible with a big computer network, Cheatham said.
Roanoke County, which received 15 computers, will use them in a keyboarding lab in a middle school.
"They turned out to be useful. They will replace some computers with floppy disks," said Homer Duff, director of utilities and operations for Roanoke County schools.
In mid-October, the state General Services Department distributed 324 surplus computers to 23 school districts represented by seven Republican lawmakers facing tough re-election bids.
in Western Virginia, computers were given to Franklin County, represented by Del. Allen Dudley, R-Rocky Mount, and Roanoke County, where state Sen. Brandon Bell, a Republican, was beaten by Democrat John Edwards. Dudley was re-elected.
Allen has said the shipments were not politically motivated, but Democrats claim a state audit report released this week supports their contention that the donations were a political pork barrel. The report said the computers weren't matched to school needs.
in Franklin County, Cheatham said the computers are being checked by the county's technical staff before they are distributed to elementary schools. Each of the county's 11 elementary schools will get one.
Cheatham said the surplus computers will supplement computers already being used in the elementary schools. If there is a classroom with only one computer, for example, a surplus computer will be installed, he said.
"Kids can do simple programs on them and learn early elementary keyboarding skills," he said. "We're glad to get them."
In Roanoke County, Duff said the surplus computers will come in handy in updating a keyboarding lab.
"We're redoing a whole lab, and these 15 will help,'' he said.
The city of Roanoke, the other locality in Bell's district, was not offered any of the surplus computers.
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