Key points from today's deep dive into education technology funding challenges:
- During the pandemic, federal relief money helped boost student internet access, with 92% of school districts using funds for edtech purchases
- Current State:
- Only 27% of states have plans to maintain K-12 technology
- Key federal programs have expired, including:
- Emergency Connectivity Fund
- Affordable Connectivity Program
- ESSER funding
- Impact:
- Schools face budget shortfalls leading to layoffs and closures
- Districts are "ruthlessly" reevaluating their edtech purchases
- 3 million households risk losing internet access
- Solutions Being Explored:
- New Mexico is considering device leasing programs
- Connecticut uses usage tracking dashboards to optimize software spending
- Some states are turning to digital materials and open educational resources to cut costs
Responses