Most NC schools say they're running out of money to replace students' laptops

Three-quarters of North Carolina’s school systems say they don’t know how they’ll replace the laptops they purchased for students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

That’s according to a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction survey of school systems that was presented Monday to the state House Select Committee on Education Reform.

One-time laptop purchases were just one of several investments schools made using temporary federal pandemic relief dollars. Come next academic year, schools will also run out of money that was used to hire instructional coaches and provide intensive tutoring, among other things.

Since 2020, school systems have used hundreds of millions of federal pandemic relief dollars to make technology upgrades. The dream of every student having their own laptop to use became a reality in all but one of North Carolina’s school systems.

Laptops have become a part of instruction and expectations in recent years, and in many cases have allowed some children to for the first time have a device that’s their own to do their schoolwork at home.

But now, in 2024, 89 of the state’s 115 school systems told DPI they don’t know where they’ll get the money to replace those laptops once those laptops finally break down.

Vanessa Wrenn, the DPI's chief information officer, said the department saw that coming.

“There’s going to be a need for sustained funding,” Wrenn said.

Data maintained by the department on the federal pandemic dollars show school systems and charter schools have spent $404 million on computer equipment and $183 million on computer software and supplies since 2020.

The General Assembly set aside $31 million for technology this year, although schools can and do use other state funds for technology purchases, totaling tens of millions of dollars each year, even with the influx of federal cash.

DPI estimates, based on the school surveys, that each device costs about $525, on average, and lasts four to five years. Schools have almost 2 million devices.

At those rates, replacing every device would cost $1 billion every four or five years — or about $200 million to $250 million each year.

Schools aren’t set to have that kind of money once the federal help ends Sept. 30.

Randolph County Schools Superintendent Stephen Gainey told lawmakers technology funding is one of the first funding sources he looks for in every state budget. He’s worried his school system is receiving less in state funding for it in recent years.

“We have to be ready for the refresh,” Gainey said. “Because buying them one-time is not going to get it done for the school system.”

His system spends about $600,000 alone on subscriptions to various software packages — not including devices — such as Canvas, its library card catalog and other academic resources. It receives $415,000 in state funding for technology and uses other state resources to cover other technology purchases.

That strategy won’t work when he expects devices to break down later this decade.

“You can’t go down this road and say, 'Well it was great for this group of students, but the next group won’t have this funding,' ” Gainey said.

Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, asked what kind of a difference laptops really made for students.

“Having devices that are not being used effectively may not be warranted,” Blackwell said.

Ashley McBride, a digital learning initiative specialist with the department, said the laptops haven’t replaced teachers.

Every student having one “does not mean a student is sitting at a desk with a computer in front of them all day,” McBride said. “We do not want that in the least.”

Wrenn said officials can see to an extent how devices are used connected to school system networks. For instance, she said Wi-Fi on school buses is often not used for educational purposes.

But laptops at school are being used educationally, she said.

Sometimes technology can be used to help drive a lesson home, she said

“Schools tell us we cannot move backward,” Wrenn said.

The department is further pushing more access to the latest technology in schools, such as teaching students how to use artificial intelligence.

Internet and device access is critical to that and ensuring some students aren't left behind, Wrenn said.