March 3, 2009 — A donation from the 28th Legislature has put eight extra computers into the classrooms at Jane E. Tuitt Elementary School.
"I made a promise to adopt Jane E. Tuitt when I saw the difficulties faced by staff, students and parents," Senate President Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg said Tuesday. "This school in particular needs a lot of assistance."
School administrators had recently voiced concerns about a number of operating problems that have plagued the St. Thomas campus over the past few months, including a shortage of funding needed to purchase equipment, run programs and buy supplies for the classrooms. At a parent-teacher meeting last month, administrators said they were "cautiously optimistic" that the situation was turning around, with a check from the government on the way, along with some extra computers from Donastorg. (See
"Funds for Ailing Elementary School Expected This Week.")
The Legislature had a small number of computers that had become obsolete but were reconditioned and cleaned up for the students' use, according to Donastorg, who presented the computers to the school Tuesday.
"We cannot upgrade these computers for use on our system — however they are in perfect operating condition and are more than adequate for students’ research and writing projects,” he explained. “It is critical that these machines be put to good use and we will continue to recycle and repair equipment here to the best of our abilities and donate to our schools whenever possible.”
Other computers were previously donated to Claude O. Markoe Elementary School and the Central High School Foreign Language Division on St. Croix.
Back Talk
Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
