Maine High School iBook Program Expansion Hangs by a Thread

So far Maine's school districts have failed to sign up to a minimum order of 8400 iBooks that Apple required to implement the $300 per iBook per year lease program for expanding the iBooks to high schools. Currently, every seventh and eighth grader and their teachers have iBooks due to the highly successful Maine Technology Learning Initiative program.

Gov. John Baldacci spearheaded an effort to expand the program to the ninth grade so that graduating eighth graders could continue with the lauded program in high school. The Maine legislature, citing other priorities, recessed without funding the expansion. But Apple and the Maine Department of Education stuck a rental deal of $300 per iBook per year with payment not due until the next legislative session. Gov. Baldacci asked school districts to sign up and he promised to fight for funding before they had to pay.

Unfortunately, the lease effort has failed to reach 8400 orders by the end of July target according to this Maine Today article. However, the Secretary of Education hasn't given up and is still working to get more orders and trying to get Apple to lower the minimum order threshold. [Dana Baggett]