Just over three years ago, many schools invested heavily in technology to support their instructional efforts that were shaped by Covid-19. They did so by taking advantage of the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), which played a crucial role in supporting schools and libraries by providing funding for technology and internet connectivity.
However, that funding has expired, and now is a great time to be thinking about and planning for your school district’s next device refresh process.
At Diamond Assets, we understand the importance of technology in education, and we are here to offer practical advice and strategies to help schools adapt to the end of ECF funding while still prioritizing technology. As we head toward the school budget cycle, Diamond Assets offers advice on how to prioritize technology plans for the year.
Assess Your Current Technology
The first step in preparing for a post-ECF world is to assess your current technology. Understand what you have, the condition of your devices, and the technology needs of your students and patrons. Many schools may have purchased new technology with the ECF funds and now are needing to update/upgrade to benefit their teachers, staff, and students. Diamond Assets can assist in conducting thorough asset assessments to help you make informed decisions. Our dedicated team of experts come from a variety of backgrounds in technology and have the depth of knowledge to assist schools in assessing their current technology landscape, understanding their specific needs, and formulating a comprehensive upgrade plan.
Develop a Sustainable Tech Plan
With ECF funding expired, it’s essential to explore alternative funding sources. One of the most effective ways to manage technology expenses is by implementing a sustainable technology plan.
This plan should address the maintenance, refresh, and replacement of technology assets and focus on a long-term vision that aligns with your educational goals. A sustainable technology plan helps you purchase the right devices, sell them at the optimal point in their useful life, and reinvest those funds into the next generation. The right decisions at each step in the process can put significant money back into your budget and keep the best technology in the hands of your students or patrons.
When you partner with Diamond Assets, our experts help you develop a technology lifecycle plan tailored to your unique needs. We closely watch technology trends to provide the best advice to our clients on the value of their current Apple devices and strategize on how they can get the most out of their iPad leases, Apple Care, and future returns. This allows you to keep your technology updated without incurring the full replacement costs.
Stay Informed
In a post-ECF world, staying informed about changes in technology trends and funding opportunities is essential. Diamond Assets offers ongoing support and industry insights to keep you informed on the latest developments.
We recognize school IT directors and business directors are seeking spendable revenue options to fund key priorities. There is a strong case for technology buyback programs to be the best and most cost-effective way for these funds to go back into technology upgrades.
Whether building technology scenarios for budgetary planning this year, or if you are looking to offload any of your Apple devices now or in the near future, we can help. We have worked with districts to build multiple year sustainability plans, providing support data for use in budget development and decision making. We also support districts with the deployment of their new devices, providing provisioning resources to make the new device transition efficient no matter the time of year.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your school district in preparing for a post-ECF world.