QUEENS, NY (TIP): Queens  Borough President Melinda Katz has announced an allocation of over $5 million of her Fiscal Year 2016 discretionary capital funds to provide SMART Boards, laptop computers and other tech devices to public elementary and middle schools in the borough.

Nearly half of the public elementary and intermediate schools in Queens will receive some funding as part of a $5,145,000 allocation from Borough President Katz’s portion of the New York City Fiscal Year 2016 Capital Budget toward the purchase of SMART Boards and laptops. Next year, as part of the Fiscal Year 2017 Capital Budget, Borough President Katz plans to use additional capital funds to provide tech funding to all of the Queens public elementary and intermediate schools that were not included in this year’s round of funding.

“Education is the #1 economic investment we can make for our families, thereby for the future of Queens,” said Borough President Katz. “By September 2016, it is my intent to equip all public elementary and middle schools in Queens with these up-to-date instructional tech tools in the classroom. These resources will help elevate our great Queens schools to even higher standards and ensure that our kids remain globally competitive in the 21st century.”

The allocation for tech upgrades breaks down as follows:

• at least $35,000 each to 95 elementary schools for the purchase of interactive SMART Boards
• at least $35,000 each to 38 middle schools for the purchase of laptops for in-school student use
• $35,000 for assistive learning devices at P.S. 009Q Walter Reed School
• $35,000 for the purchase of iMac desktop computers at P.S. 255Q in Kew Gardens
• $70,000 for a stationary
  classroom/library technology environment at P.S./M.S. 105Q in the Rockaways.
• two $70,000 allotments for upgrades to computer labs at P.S. 082Q in Jamaica and P.S. 164Q in Kew Gardens.

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