The extra money that flowed from the federal government during the pandemic has left districts in New Mexico with a problem.
The pandemic boosted internet access for students. That’s in part because school districts purchased devices with relief money. These days, around 285,000 students in the state have a school-issued device, says John Chadwick, digital equity coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Education.
Even so, there are still “connectivity deserts” — areas where access to the internet is limited — particularly in tribal and rural lands. In all, about 8 percent of K-12 students in New Mexico still lack devices, Chadwick estimates.
But right now, it’s important to avoid losing progress.
The devices acquired by schools need to be replaced every three to five years, and key federal funding programs have expired. Eager to keep digital gains, Chadwick has approached the state legislature several times about the “device refresh” problem. But he’s running into speed bumps. For instance, trying to provide precise numbers to the legislature about how much money it will take is tricky because they don’t have easy access to that data.
So Chadwick finds himself exploring imaginative options. For example, he’s trying to persuade schools to lease rather than own devices — based on a creative interpretation of an old statute from the 1990s — because he believes this will reduce costs and open up the state budget. Districts tell Chadwick that the cost of ownership arises from having to install software across tens of thousands of devices. Leasing a device can mean the devices come with software already installed and configured and it also could build refreshes into school budgets, Chadwick says.
Even if New Mexico’s solution is unique, its plight is common across the country.
The federal government calculates that 92 percent of school districts used federal relief money to purchase edtech, including devices and other expenditures related to digital access such as software. That increased the number of students able to access the internet for learning, a rare perk resulting from the pandemic.
But with federal pandemic funding over, it’s unclear whether these online gains can be sustained. Plus, there are worrying signs: According to a recent study, few states even have plans for how to help districts keep digital access from disappearing. What’s more, an administration angling to reshape the federal government could further decelerate or reverse progress.
Tightening the Purse Strings
The pandemic jump-started a national movement around digital equity, and brought significant infrastructure investments to the effort, according to Ji Soo Song, director of projects and initiatives for State Educational Technology Directors Association, a membership organization for state education leaders.
When schools were forced to remote learning, access to the internet became viewed as a necessity.
At the time, districts were able to use federal dollars to make a case to state legislators to show that they need more investment in areas like devices for K-12 students, Song says. That led to more students being able to access the internet for learning, at home and in schools. From broadband to devices to skills to technical support and inclusivity of digital tools and platforms, the country made significant strides, Song says.
But now, the key federal programs that funded these investments have expired. Last year, the Emergency Connectivity Fund — a multibillion dollar program meant to help schools switch to remote learning during the pandemic — lapsed. So, too, did the Affordable Connectivity Program, a widely used program that provided discount internet for families in the home, and ESSER, a booster of federal relief money that many schools spent to improve digital access.
In addition to jeopardizing digital access, the end of federal funding was poorly timed, Song says.
Many schools are already strapped for revenue, says Weadé James, K-12 policy director for the think tank the Center for American Progress. A lot of districts are experiencing budget shortfalls, leading to teacher layoffs and even school closures. The funding hole was exacerbated because many schools didn’t adjust their hiring or salary increases to account for fewer funds after the height of the pandemic, James adds.
There’s some reason to think the new reality is setting in.
Districts have told EdSurge that the disappearance of these funds has caused them to “ruthlessly” reevaluate edtech purchases made during the pandemic.
But observers say that the country needs a solid plan, both at the state and the federal levels, to make sure that it’s not sliding backward.
At the moment, the vast majority of states aren’t prepared. In fact, only 27 percent of states have plans in place to sustain K-12 technology, according to recent research from the State Educational Technology Directors Association. The report, known as the Universal Connectivity Imperative, charts the push for universal access to the internet for students both in and out of school.
Federal plans to close digital divides and to ensure all students can participate in education have focused on three categories: design, access and use of technology. Though gains have been made, there are still problems in accessing technology. Some research has found racial gaps in who can access high-speed broadband at home, and also in the kinds of devices students would be able to use. Moreover, the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program, in particular, threatens to rip away internet access from 3 million households, forcing another 8.3 million to downgrade to slower plans, the Universal Connectivity report found. Further, while the majority of students get some, few families receive assistance learning digital skills, according to the report.
The report recommends a number of policies, including reviving federal legislation to lift funding for digital equity programs, and for state legislators to collect and use data about which students have access to technology.
Song hopes that states will be able to learn from each other, which is why the report highlights examples of how some are handling the transition.
In the Spotlight
Connecticut is one of the states spotlighted in the report.
In Connecticut, districts have the advantage of an active state infrastructure. The state saw a steady increase in programs where schools put devices into the hands of students even before the pandemic, says Doug Casey, executive director of the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology. Still, ESSER funds were helpful for the final hurdle: making sure nearly all students had devices. That’s important: You can have a great broadband connection outside of school, but without a dedicated device it doesn’t do much, Casey says.
The state’s digital equity program is led by a dedicated commission focused on online learning, the Commission for Educational Technology, which looks at policies and programs across schools. Nearly all middle and high schools in the state are still investing in device programs, Casey says, pointing toward data from the commission.
But funding is still a problem.
With federal funding gone, the commission has encouraged schools to budget creatively. That means casting a critical eye on expenses, and questioning whether the new digital environment means they can pare back some, Casey says. The state has a dashboard, used by about one third of districts, that tracks edtech usage, which gives districts insight into which software licenses are actually being used and therefore are valuable. It helps districts to make sure every dollar counts, Casey says.
The state is also trying to show districts where they can find cuts. For instance: They might rely on digital instructional materials, or on open educational resources (OER) collected by the state, instead of pricey printed curriculum materials. Ideally, technology investments can be the gateway to cost savings over time, Casey says.
Nationally, things are changing quickly.
Choppy Waters
Without help, schools are assailable.
The recent breach of PowerSchool — a California-based K-12 software company that services 18,000 schools and an estimated 60 million students — underscores the school’s vulnerability to cyber threats, says James, of the Center for American Progress. (It’s currently unknown how many students were impacted by the breach.)
Districts lack financial resources, infrastructure and expertise to protect themselves and students, James says. But the current administration could make sure schools aren’t soft targets, she adds.
However, the administration itself may represent a hurdle for digital access as it works to slash equity programs.
Upon taking office, President Trump issued an executive action to roll back what the directive called “radical and wasteful” diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives. In the wake of the order, hundreds of government webpages referencing diversity or equity were censored, and federal staff have been forced to take leave, James says.
This could affect the push for increased digital access. For instance, the U.S. Department of Education’s recently revised National Educational Technology Plan, meant as a comprehensive national vision for closing digital divides, broadly embraced equity.
The Trump administration is also expected to try to broadly dismantle the Education Department, adding further precariousness.
The national technology plan hasn’t been impacted yet, according to James. But she says it’s worth paying attention to whether there are any drawbacks in the federal government’s commitment to digital equity.
Currently, the outcomes of these actions are unclear, James says.
