Senator eyes leasing school computers

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, thinks it might be less expensive to lease computers for the public schools than to buy them as proposed by Gov. Bob Miller.

A spokesman for Miller said the governor "will be happy to take a look" at Porter's suggestion.

Miller wants to spend $35 million in the next two years to buy computers. This is the first phase of a six-year, $175 million program to put five computers in every classroom.

"Simply throwing a large chunk of money at a problem won't necessarily fix it," Porter said in advocating his leasing plan.

Porter doesn't know yet how much a leasing program would cost or the number of computers that would be needed. Those figures are being gathered.

"The governor is leaving it open as to the best way to acquire the computers," said Richard Urey, Miller's press secretary. "The important thing is which option produces the best cost/benefit ratio."

Miller says computers are needed to put Nevada students on the cutting edge of technology. But some members of the Senate Finance Committee have questioned where the money will come from.

After this biennium, Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, note that another $140 million will be needed to complete the program by 2003.

Porter doesn't dispute that schools need the latest technology. But he questions whether the state can afford the purchase. And he said a lease arrangement would be better for the long term as computer technology often becomes obsolete within two or three years.

"If we insist on purchasing rather than leasing, we will end up paying for equipment that needs to be replaced long before we can again afford to replace it," Porter said. "It's time to consider a strategy that will provide students with continual access to the equipment benefiting their needs."

O'Donnell added that the first computers purchased would be outmoded by the time all the computers were bought.

Porter also said lease arrangements would spare school districts the expense of hiring computer technicians to maintain, troubleshoot and administer the systems.