Financing a Successful 1:1 Digital Initiative

1:1 digital initiatives have the ability to transform an educational system. Without a well-planned financial strategy, however, most 1:1 initiatives will fail. When planning to fund this type of major endeavor, decision makers must consider three integral parts: 1) infrastructure and network, 2) computer purchase or lease, and 3) software.

First, a strong infrastructure and network must be present to handle the computers and ultimately the software that will be utilized in the educational environment. Each district will have a certain amount of infrastructure already in place to provide the usual and customary services. Additional components consist of wired or wireless networking as well as the servers necessary to support the computers and software. Funds for this aspect of a 1:1 initiative can be provided from current expense accounts, capital outlay accounts, new construction accounts, or grants.

There are also a variety of options available for funding the computer purchase / lease program and needed software. These funds could also come from a current expense account, capital outlay account, new construction account, grants, or programmatic state and federal funds.

During the planning phase of a 1:1 initiative, the amount of capital needed may seem unfeasible. As you begin the process of implementing the initiative, however, you will find spending for items such as textbooks, workbooks, maps, globes, calculators, and reference books will decrease as these items will all be part of the digital world that all students will have access to. Also, do not forget to look at specific program resources, such as for CTE or Exceptional Children, when determining funds that may be available to support the program. Finally, there are many grants available that you may be eligible for; however, review grant applications carefully to ensure they don’t fund a specific type or brand of equipment used that may be different from that being used by your system.

While it may be hard to wrap your mind around the cost of such an initiative, the cost can easily be reduced to a format that makes it more readily understood and accepted. Take the total cost for each computer and divide it by the useful life (three to four years). Divide this number by the 220 days the computer is available to the student for unlimited use. This figure—your daily cost—is much more manageable.

 
As you can see, for less than $1.00 per day, you can provide your students with 21st-century tools that will produce improvements in attendance, test scores, and student engagement. That is PRICELESS!

Another aspect of a 1:1 initiative that will need to be addressed is staffing. With a 1:1 initiative, technology staffing will need to be increased; however, a much larger digital program can be managed with even a small increase in staffing. Each school will need a help desk with a person who can manage day-to-day issues with the laptops including minor repairs. The help desk position can be funded through the elimination of other positions that will no longer be needed once the laptops are distributed, such as a computer lab position.

With any technology, repairs will need to be made. Funding for needed repairs comes from the insurance fee charged to students. Mooresville Graded School District chose to be self-insured rather than purchase a policy for repairs. While the insurance fee is minimal, it is effective since the financial commitment puts some responsibility on the student to take care of the machine. While every student is charged the insurance fee to pick up his or her laptop, the district understands that the insurance fee may place an undue burden on some families. Therefore, the Mooresville Graded School District Foundation for Excellence in Education has established an annual fundraiser to provide the funds needed to support those families.

This article was written by Dr. Mark Edwards, Superintendent, Mooresville Graded School District, and appeared in Digital Learning Now’s Blended Learning Implementation Guide v2.0