DOD program aids local schools

Published May 22, 2012
By Tech. Sgt. Mike Andriacco
2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Old and surplus military computer equipment can gain a new lease on life thanks to a Department of Defense program aimed at helping schools around the United States.

The Computers for Learning program allows military installations to donate educationally useful equipment to local schools and educational nonprofit organizations rather than sending it to the Defense Logistics Agency for scrapping and recycling.

Recently, the 2nd Communications Squadron here donated 53 computers to Bossier City, La., schools, with plans to expand the program and include more schools in the future. Schools that benefitted from this program are Rusheon Middle School, Bossier High School, R.V. Kerr Elementary School and Waller Elementary School.

According to the DLA's disposition branch, educationally useful Federal equipment is defined as computer and related peripheral equipment, such as printers, modems, routers and servers. This includes appropriate telecommunications and research equipment. Computer software is also included where the transfer of licenses is permitted.

The program benefits many local schools as they work to provide the most current educational technology for their students. The costs of technology continue to rise and CFL can help mitigate.

"This is really going to free up some technology money so we can keep the other classrooms running and try to get them up to speed with the rest of the school," said Jan Hollis, Waller principal.

The school evaluates each classroom and works to ensure each class has comparable amounts and levels of technology, she said. The funds freed up by the CFL donations will go toward interactive learning products for the kindergarten classrooms at the school.

Beyond the immediate benefits to the school and the Air Force, the program adds a sense of fulfillment to the Airmen of the 2 CS who worked to make the donation happen.

"I am happy to see this going through," said Tech. Sgt. Raymond Merrow, 2 CS asset management technician. "I have been working this issue since I came to the office a year ago and it was being worked months before that."

The process can be lengthy because it's necessary to ensure proper accountability of military assets, even those designated as surplus. Part of those accountability requirements is that the schools register with the DLA disposition services branch to determine eligibility. School representatives then sign a memorandum of agreement that they will properly account for and track the equipment, as well as dispose of it properly when it has reached the end of its useful life.

The computers also have their own process for release from Air Force service which must be completed before they become available to the schools.

"We sanitize the computers of any government related software or information so that they can be given to the schools," Merrow said. "Once that step is complete, then they go into the DLA system, and once there, we can then allocate them to the schools."

A school is eligible to participate if it is a public, private or parochial school serving pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students. An educational nonprofit organization must meet three criteria in order to participate. First, it must serve pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students only. Second, it must be tax-exempt under section 501(c) of the U.S. tax code. Third, it must operate primarily for the purpose of education.

Any school or educational nonprofit organization that wishes to participate in the CFL program may start the process on the DLA's disposition branch CFL website at https://www.dispositionservices.dla.mil/rtd03/cfl/index.shtml.