Vision

To work collaboratively with our customers and partners to provide essential
access to computer technology for all K-12 children in Minnesota by 2012.

Mission

Minnesota Computers for Schools provides technology access for lifelong learning.

Values

• All children deserve equal access to the technology necessary to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence required for success in school, their community and in the workforce.
• Our customers (schools, teachers, nonprofits and foundations) are partners in providing essential technology awareness and skills to all children of Minnesota.
• We promise to provide computer technology that is reliable and capable for the intended purpose of customers; we stand behind this promise with a replacement warranty.
• We guarantee computer donors that all existing data and identification will be removed from donated equipment and that MCFS will recycle obsolete technology products in an environmentally sound manner that is compliant with all laws and regulations.
• We will create a workplace that is respectful, offers opportunities for growth and abides by ethical principles of honesty, openness and equality.
• Our inmate workers make a valuable contribution to society and to their personal rehabilitation through their labor on behalf of the organization and assure that our operations are consistent with Minnesota DOC policies, procedures and guidelines.

History

In partnership with the Minnesota Correctional Facility - Stillwater, Minnesota Computers for Schools trains inmates at the facility to refurbish and upgrade computer hardware donated by businesses. Components that are not refurbished are recycled. The refurbished systems provide affordable technology solutions for Minnesota K-12 public, private and charter schools, educational nonprofit organizations serving disadvantaged youth and students with special needs.

Minnesota Computers for Schools was established in 1997 by Governor Arne Carlson, as a program of the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning. The Minnesota State Legislature provided funding for three years. From the beginning, the Minnesota Department of Corrections was an important partner, providing both facilities and inmate labor to refurbish the thousands of computers donated by many Minnesota corporations and government agencies. MCFS far exceeded its original goal of placing 18,500 computer systems in Minnesota schools within three years.

Legislative funding ended in June 2000, leaving the organization without its major source of funds. The Minnesota High Tech Association, through its affiliated foundation, stepped in to save the organization from dissolution. The Minnesota High Tech Foundation solicited private contributions and developed an earned-income business model that created financial solvency. As the program grew and became more self-sufficient, the Foundation recognized that the program had evolved beyond their primary mission, and MCFS became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in March 2005.

Today, the organization plays an important role in the future of educational technology in Minnesota. While the basic components of the business model have remained constant since 1997, MCFS has substantially improved operating efficiencies, product quality and its capacity to collaborate with a wide range of partners to better serve Minnesota’s children in the coming years.