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Providing Computers To Families In Need

Learn how Compugen Education’s Shape The Future program forever changed one school district in Texas.


Byron Moreland is the assistant superintendent of schools in Greenwood Independent School District outside of Midland, Texas. His job is to find and purchase the best technology to serve student learning in Greenwood. For a district of 2400 students, he’s constantly working on procuring the best equipment to provide for classrooms and labs.refurbished computers for k-12

Like many school districts in America, Greenwood has fallen on hard times. Midland’s economy is mostly dependent on oil and gas. Since the price of gas fell about two years ago, the economy has suffered. The number of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch has skyrocketed. Greenwood Schools have seen large budget decreases without any decline in the number of students.

“This area really follows the booms and busts of the energy industry. When times are good, they are very good, and when they are bad, it definitely affects our kids and their ability to come to school ready to learn,” says Byron.

Byron goes to great lengths to get the best prices on powerful computers for his school district. That’s why, after seeing some information from Compugen Education, he approached Patrick Connelly and became a client of Compugen Education.  In the past two years, Greenwood Schools has ordered hundreds of refurbished desktops from Compugen Education, and, as Byron explained “we’ve always been happy with the products we get from them.”

But great technology in the schools only goes so far. If students don’t have computers at home, then they may have more trouble becoming technologically literate, and it affects their ability to complete homework, communicate with teachers and other students, and become prepared for life after graduation.

This surprising information could also be due to the fact that many refurbished computers aren’t really “used” at all. Many of them come from returns when a customer simply changed his or her mind. According to one source, only 5% of returned electronics are actually defective. The few units that are defective are meticulously refurbished by experts, making them more reliable than ever. The net effect is that, in the end, refurbished computers can be given more scrutiny, attention and tender loving care than new ones. This is certainly true at Compugen.

We get our computers from three primary sources: our enterprise leasing portfolio, our Corporate Trade-in program, and the occasional open box overstock from our corporate returns. In all three cases, only the highest performing computers make the cut. The computers that end up being refurbished are already the cream of the crop, and they are meticulously checked during our Honor Roll Certification™ process. So next time you’re thinking about buying a desktop or laptop, remember that refurbished computers can deliver comparable performance and improved reliability.

The Big Surprise

After a recent conversation with Patrick Connelly, Byron was told that the CEO of Compugen Education, Steve Glover, wanted to talk with him. Byron explained that he has happy to have the opportunity. “I like to see people at the top out there trying to communicate with the people they do business with, no matter if they’re big or small” he said.

But he was doubly surprised, when, after a brief conversation, Steve told Byron that Compugen Education wanted to offer the school district 50 free desktop computers to distribute to families in need through Compugen Educations’s Shape the Future program.

Byron was beside himself.
“I just didn’t expect that kind of generosity,” he explained.

“This will have a huge impact on the families that are struggling the most in our district. When I told the board of trustees, they almost didn’t believe me.”

“They are very nice computers – the same as what these students use in classrooms and labs, maybe even the same as what their parents use at work,” Byron told us. As far as the impact that these computers will have on the students that receive them, Byron says “The computers will make success at school much easier for these students – and hopefully it gives them a chance to get a better job, or to go to college after they graduate.”

“You know, it’s really something that’s going to make a difference in our students’ lives. I can’t say enough about Compugen Education. I think it was an awesome gesture that they made towards our district. I hear they’re going to try to do the same thing with other districts that they do business with. And I think that’s pretty awesome.”

Let’s Shape The Future, Together

Shape the Future is a program that takes used computers donated from corporations and refurbishes them for charitable donation. In partnership with Microsoft, Compugen Education is working to conquer the digital divide and create opportunities for disadvantaged students. If your school district has families in need that could benefit from the program, we encourage you to learn more about the program and get in touch with us.

Together, we can provide the technological tools to give all students a chance to succeed. Get in touch to find out how.

By: Compugen Education | Category: Case Studies

Customer Testimonials

With budgets tight and demands high, you’ve always come up with some creative ways to help us get quality equipment at a price that allows us to get the quantities our environment requires.
B HolmesTechnology Director

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