Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Citizens Buy Computers for Schools : Education: With help of local community, group’s effort means elementary and junior high classrooms will be getting 30 machines.

SANTA CLARITA —  A citizens group has cobbled together enough computer systems to place one in each Santa Clarita elementary school and two in every junior high.

Earlier this week, Sierra Vista Junior High School received the first two of the 30 computers assembled by Citizens For a Better Santa Clarita Valley.

“Approximately 300 more kids in a given year will (now) have an opportunity to get behind the keyboard,” said Sierra Vista Principal Jon Curwen.

The group launched the computer collection effort in August after hearing that a medical company was donating dozens of computers and components to the Santa Clarita Valley Canyons Preservation Committee.

Citizens group leader Jack Curenton agreed to buy the equipment from the committee, and has been tapping local residents and merchants for donations, ranging from discs to dollars so each computer kit includes an IBM-compatible monitor, hard drive and printer.

“It gives us another tool for entry into an IBM-compatible environment,” said Curwen. “They’ll certainly serve us well in the students’ word processing uses.”

The remaining computers are to be distributed in the next few weeks. Individual schools will decide how the computers will be used.

“The whole concept was to have two kits at each of the junior high schools and one at each elementary school,” said Curenton. “My only condition is that it goes in a classroom.”

Citizens For a Better Santa Clarita Valley has raised $5,200 and hopes to raise at least $1,800 more to obtain additional software and eventually outfit the two schools in Castaic as well.

Several builders with developments in the valley and a major waste hauling company have pitched in with donations, but Curenton is angry with the few firms that refused to help.

“I can’t imagine any developer in this development-rich community not wanting to participate, to do what they can to contribute to the computer education of our children,” Curenton said.