Dell signs $25 million school district deal

March 13, 2002

Dell and the Oklahoma City Public Schools today announced that the school district has chosen Dell as the exclusive computer systems provider for a $25 million technology initiative to install wireless notebook systems and desktop computers throughout the school district over the next three years.

The agreement calls for Dell to supply more than 90 Oklahoma City schools with up to 20,000 computer systems, including 10,000 wireless notebooks and wireless carts. Each of the nearly 5,000 teachers in the school district will receive a Dell™ Latitude™  wireless notebook computer for use in the classroom. The announcement comes on the heels of the latest market data from IDC listing Dell as the preferred supplier of notebook systems to the U.S. education market in 2001.

“This is a really important project for the students of Oklahoma City and for the school district,” said Steve Finch, Oklahoma City Public School official. “Our goal is to lead the US in a technology-enhanced learning environment where our students can develop the lifelong skills they’ll need to succeed in the future. We selected Dell because they met our requirements for quality products, breadth of services and total cost of ownership. We believe they are the ideal partner to help us achieve our goals.”

In addition to the computer systems, Dell will provide the district with services such as:

  • Custom Factory Integration-Dell will custom install the entire suite of software applications used by the Oklahoma City Public Schools, as well as asset tags for each computer to allow for easy tracking and servicing of the systems.

  • Technical Support-Dell will certify Oklahoma City Public School technicians on the new systems, to allow them to quickly and easily troubleshoot any computer problems.

  • Installation-Dell will deliver and unpack every computer right in the classroom, saving the district time and money. .

“Technology is vital to helping students prepare to enter the work force of tomorrow,” said Bill Rodrigues, Dell’s vice president and general manager for education and healthcare. “With this program, Oklahoma City Public Schools will be able give their students access to the 21st century skills they’ll need to succeed in the future.”