CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- The Caruthersville School District superintendent's goal of supplying every teacher with a computer by next school year was made possible thanks to a computer surplus from the Department of Social Service office in Caruthersville.

Gov. Matt Blunt announced Tuesday that 33 surplus computers will be shipped to the school district after the DSS office receives a scheduled upgrade of equipment. Blunt learned of the more than 3-year-old computers, and the DSS's intent to store them in Jefferson City, during a recent trip to Caruthersville.

Before last month's powerful tornado destroyed more than half the town and part of the school, Caruthersville superintendent Nick Thiele had plans to network the district's teachers through a computer system next school year.

But "with the anticipated repairs for our school district, those computers were going to be a red-line item," Thiele said.

A number of the district's computers were destroyed by the tornado.

Transferring the computers from the local DSS office to the school district will also save the state the expense of sending them to Jefferson City.

Thiele said the computers are essential to the school district, at a time when communication between teachers will be critical.

"We're very fortunate and very blessed to be receiving these computers," Thiele said. "It's a very timely opportunity."

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 246