State to receive $2 million for computers

? A nonprofit foundation will donate $2 million worth of laptop computers and printers to Kansas schools, community groups and individuals over four years, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday.

The Beaumont Foundation of Austin, Texas, is donating equipment to all states, using $350 million left over from Toshiba Corp.’s $2.1 billion settlement of a class action lawsuit over faulty floppy disk drives.

Sebelius said Kansas would receive its first installment — $800,000 worth of Toshiba products — this year. A Beaumont Foundation official was unable Friday to estimate how many computers would be donated in Kansas.

“Our primary goal is to make sure that no child in the country is in a position where they do not have access to a computer,” said Virginia Peoples, the foundation’s Kansas project manager, who joined Sebelius at a news conference.

During the news conference, Sebelius said she would propose ways to raise more revenue — but not increase taxes — because she wanted to ensure the state built up a balance of so-called rainy day funds.

Her proposed $10.2 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 would spend about $313 million that the state would normally reserve for emergency use, leaving only $500,000 in rainy day funds at the year’s end.

“I do not support a fiscal policy which ends with a zero ending balance,” she said.