Press Release -- FIRST in ALL NH Schools

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Cory

Why shoot for 100% FRC participation? It may take years to find the funds, and teams may drop out or not have the support they need to be sustainable if all they're getting is $6,000.

I don't see a dollar amount attached to that press release. I have to expect that someone's explained to the Governor that team budgets must necessarily be higher than that, and that the fundraising goals must therefore be set much higher.

To me, the most notable feature of the statement was that "Gov. Lynch and Kamen challenged the state’s business and higher education communities to increase sponsorship and volunteer efforts in order to reach the 100 percent participation threshold." Not that there's anything particularly wrong with asking others for sponsorship, but it would be nice for the state government to clarify how much they intend to spend on this project.

There's a gubernatorial election coming up in New Hampshire, and it is probably a fairly sound political move to announce something like this, to build popular support. But remember the similar initiative in Michigan to fund FIRST programs at the state level? It was an item that the Governor championed, but which was ultimately trimmed from the budget. I wonder whether this one will face similar obstacles when it actually comes time to pass a state budget—that will be the real test of the state's commitment.

As for the merits of funding FRC throughout a state, I figure that doing so in a small state—and New Hampshire in particular—is a pretty good choice. FIRST gains clout by being able to say that it has 100% penetration in an entire state (despite the fact that there are fewer high schools there than in many large cities). And with FIRST based in New Hampshire, the politicians can be seen devoting their efforts to a worthy local cause that promises future benefits to the state's high-tech industries—doubly important when people are in a protectionist mood brought on by economic confusion.

Compared to other jurisdictions, New Hampshire is an excellent place to demonstrate the best-case scenario for a 100% penetration model. If it succeeds there, then others may follow—but if it fails in the state where FIRST has access to many unique advantages, it's going to be a very hard sell elsewhere. Either way, I don't see this as being a bad experiment.