Management

How Can K–12 Schools Make Strategic Long-Term Investments in Technology?

IT professionals shouldn’t be afraid to make purchases, but they must consider the best ways to minimize costs while maximizing impact.

Victoria Thompson

Victoria Thompson is a K–12 education strategist at CDW Education leading the Southeastern U.S. She is a former K–12 educator, instructional coach and school district leader in South Carolina and Washington state. In 2021, EdTech: Focus on K–12 named her one of its top 30 K–12 IT influencers.

Many school leaders and K–12 technology professionals feel uncertain about the future of funding for education. With no clear vision for where money will come from ahead of the next school year, some experts are urging schools to start considering blended funding opportunities now.

Still, some K–12 IT administrators may hesitate when it comes to making investments in educational technologies. Many are looking to spend money on devices, which have a three- to seven-year warranty, rather than software, which often needs to be renewed each year.

On top of this, many districts are approaching their refresh cycles for devices purchased at the onset of the pandemic. Warranties are expiring as devices themselves reach end of life.

DIVE DEEPER: Year-round asset management can transform K–12 IT processes.

This doesn’t mean that school leaders should panic or avoid making new investments altogether. Instead, they need to make strategic long-term investments that will carry them through this period of uncertainty and beyond.

How IT Teams Should Weigh Hardware vs. Software Investments

When it comes to short-term financial constraints, hardware is often considered a more tangible, and therefore more immediate, need. This is where grants can be most effective. CDW has a resource on funding and grants; our experts can help schools identify opportunities that meet their pressing budgetary needs.

Software, on the other hand, is seen as an ongoing expense. This leads to reluctance for making investments. However, in today’s digital learning environments, platforms and applications are often necessary educational tools.

The best place to start, in these cases, is with an audit of the applications a district is currently paying for. A strategic assessment can help IT administrators eliminate redundancies, identify areas where they’re overpaying for licenses and consolidate their spending.

Click the banner below for expert guidance on paring down the apps in your digital ecosystem.

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IT Teams Can Manage Pushback From K–12 Instructional Staff

Eliminating applications could elicit backlash from teachers and other instructional staff. To mitigate this, IT departments need to clearly communicate the “why” behind their investments. Staff members focused on instruction are looking for outcomes and convenience, which can conflict with IT’s missions related to privacy and compliance.

Clear communication on considerations such as application vetting — and the importance of not using personal accounts for tools that aren’t approved by the district — can bring IT and instructional teams into alignment. After all, when budgets are already tight, the last thing a district can afford is a ransomware attack.

Minimize the Impact on IT Teams to Maximize Investments

Making strategic investments also means making choices that benefit the IT team. For example, training for a new tool might carry an upfront cost, but it could help users integrate the technology into their systems and workflows more efficiently. The same goes for managed services. While these might cost the school a bit more at the start, they help ensure technology is properly managed and maintained for long-term ROI. Making the decision to support training and services now ensures schools won’t be left scrambling and paying a convenience fee if they need assistance at the last minute.

FIND ANSWERS: Why are more schools breaking away from in-house device management?

Additionally, K–12 IT professionals should consider investments in tools that are simple to integrate and use. Choose platforms or solutions that work with the other technologies in your digital ecosystem. This improves the interoperability in your learning environment, and users may already be familiar with the tech.

Training, managed services and seamless integration for users can lead to a decrease in IT tickets. As a long-term investment strategy, this frees up K–12 IT professionals to solve other challenges and maximize their time and skills on projects that will have the greatest impact on budgets and the learners they aim to support.

This article is part of the ConnectIT: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Technology series.