Guilford County Schools officials say it will take nearly $20 million to sustain a one-to-one ratio of devices to students next year.
At a school board meeting this week, officials laid out several challenges as the district’s iPads, Chromebooks and laptops begin to reach the end of their usable lives.
Funding — like in districts all across the state — is a big one.
Guilford County Schools’ Chief Technology Officer Rashad Slade says the system would need $19.5 million to continue providing devices for all students next year.
“That higher cost is a result of all of the devices that we purchased from COVID are now end of life," Slade said. "So we're having to do this bulk replacement in order to keep things active.”
That amount would also cover 5,000 teacher laptops that will need to be replaced in December due to their age.
If the funding doesn’t come through, officials say the district will need to change the way technology is used in the classroom.