Project Lead the Way began in the District at Apollo through a grant in which we received machines, teachers (from the St. Cloud Technical College) and training. As our staff became trained the District took over the program. The program has been expanded to other buildings, but the money coming in is getting smaller each year. This year we have need to expand the program at Tech, and they are 15 machines short. The training piece has been worked out; however, we do not have the machines in our computer rotation. Next year Apollo computers will need to be replaced. This will be an ongoing expense. We have approximately 100 computers that need to be rotated periodically. Remember, this program is way too valuable to eliminate, and we need to find a way to fund it.
We may pull together a group of downtown high tech companies to help us plan, market and prepare the community for this need. We need their expertise to help us create the message that the work/employment of tomorrow demands technology. The technology portions of the last two levy referendums have been turned down by the community. I would also suggest we also involve higher education. We either need to find another revenue stream or stretch out our computer rotation.
