Baltimore schools remove last Macs
updated 12:55 pm EDT, Mon June 19, 2006
Macs forsaken for Wintels
Despite the bright future with Apple's new line of Intel Macs, another school is moving away from the Mac platform and some teachers argue that the administrative decision is not the best thing for the kids. Baltimore City Schools are replacing the Macs in their graphic design and multimedia labs with Windows-based PCs, according to The Baltimore Sun. "During spring break, the school system converted Mac computer labs at the Western School of Technology and Environmental Science, where Peach teaches. By fall, 11 programs at 10 schools will move to PCs, at a cost of more than $1 million, said Rhonda Hoyman, supervisor of technical programs in the Office of Career and Technology Education." The administration claims that the move will save tech support money in the long run by standardizing on a single platform. The school reportedly considered keeping a few Macs in each classroom but abandoned the plan because of the cost.
"I'm not going to say some teachers still wouldn't prefer to have Macs or have a dual platform," a spokesperson told the publication. While the school cited personal preference as the main reason behind the teachers' protests, all 11 programs will use the same set of about 14 software titles.
