Wisconsin Schools to Share $80 Million Microsoft Settlement
April 2, 2010Wisconsin public schools will receive more than $80 million in vouchers to be used to purchase new computer hardware and software. The funds are part of a $224 million settlement Wisconsin reached with Microsoft in 2006, in a case where plaintiffs claimed Microsoft had stifled competition and broken state antitrust laws by overcharging consumers for software and computers.
Vouchers will be sent to districts across the state to help 800 low-income schools secure new technology. The Department of Public Instruction said that the low-income schools may begin using their vouchers immediately to reimburse for certain hardware and software purchases made since last June, or use the vouchers to fund new technology purchases.
To be eligible for a voucher, schools had to have at least a third of their students coming from low-income households, as determined by the number of children receiving free- and reduced-price lunches in 2005.
Zelle Hofmann served as co-lead settlement class counsel for the plaintiffs in the Wisconsin Microsoft antitrust lawsuit.
