This site provides support for the Office of the Lt Governor. For updated info on the Governor, use Governor.illinois.gov.

Office of Governor Pat Quinn

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LT. GOV. QUINN & LOW-COST LAPTOPS IN ILLINOIS

As chairman of the Broadband Deployment Council, Lt. Governor Quinn is committed to improving access to high-speed Internet technology for all Illinois residents. In 2006, he partnered with the Illinois State Board of Education to develop and implement the $10 million Technology Immersion Pilot Project, which provided nearly 5,000 students in 17 Illinois schools with laptops.

For $10 million today, Illinois could equip 50,000 students with $200 laptops that would offer the same opportunity to develop critical reading, writing and problem-solving skills as machines that cost much more.

Low-cost laptops are already transforming learning around the world, across the nation - and right here in Illinois. With the Lt. Governor's encouragement, Forest Park Public School District 91 purchased 100 XO laptops to equip all of the district's fifth-grade classrooms. After District 91 invested in the machines, they invited businesses and individuals from the community to "sponsor" a student's laptop. This approach offset nearly 50% of the total project costs to the district.

Late last year, Lt. Governor Quinn teamed up with the Western Illinois University Foundation to launch a statewide essay contest for third graders, awarding the 33 winners with kid-friendly, durable XO laptops. Quinn and the foundation also presented 40 low-cost laptops to students at the Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville.

And, in a move to improve school technology statewide, during the 95th General Assembly, Lt. Governor Quinn developed and promoted HB5000, �The Illinois Children's Low-Cost Laptop Act�, which would allow up to 300 elementary schools to receive grant funding for laptops, professional development (teacher training), school infrastructure readiness and technical support. The Illinois House of Representatives approved it unanimously, on April 8, 2008 but it needs Senate approval and the Governor�s signature to become law.

In May of 2008 he submitted the "Children's Low-Cost Laptop Ordinance" to the Chicago City Council. It would provide teacher training and at least 15,000 low-cost laptops for Chicago Public School students.

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