Hamilton County is eligible for $657,223 in software vouchers from the Tennessee Department of Education following a settlement in a lawsuit against Microsoft Corp.

The money is part of $15.3 million in vouchers the company is distributing statewide in response to allegations it acted illegally to maintain a monopoly.

"Anytime you're the recipient of something of that magnitude, it's a good thing," Board of Education Chairman Joe Conner said. "We look forward to putting the funds to good use."

Schools will be able to use the vouchers to obtain Microsoft operating system software, which could include Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft encyclopedia software and approved software not produced by Microsoft. Schools will submit receipts from their purchases to the state to receive a reimbursement.

"This is an excellent opportunity for school districts across Tennessee," said Rachel Woods, communications director for the Tennessee Department of Education. "These vouchers from Microsoft allow a lot of flexibility for each school district and school to supplement their computer systems with updated software and information."

School systems are eligible for about $16.40 per student based on their enrollments at the end of the last school year.

State Rep. Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said he was excited to hear the news, especially in light of the unfairness he sees in the formula Tennessee uses to distribute money among school systems.

Under the Basic Education Program formula, which some lawmakers are working to change this year, Hamilton County ranks 135th out of 136 school systems in per-student funding from the state.

"Anything we get from the state of Tennessee is nice right now because we are not being treated fairly by the BEP formula," Rep. McCormick said.

"I'm glad to see they did it on a per-pupil basis rather than weighting it toward certain counties like they do the BEP. It's fair this way," he said.