(The Center Square) – A new report from North Carolina’s State Board of Education raises concern about the ability of school systems to replace equipment needed for student remote learning.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many school systems in the states used federal grants to buy the equipment such as laptop computers, that allowed students to take classes remotely.
But four years have passed and that equipment is increasingly wearing out, according to a report by the Department of Public Instruction presented to the state school board at its meeting this month.
According to the report, 82 out of 115 school systems in the state lack the funds to refresh the student remote devices. The situation is similar with charter schools, lab schools and regional schools, where 101 school districts out of 221 lack sufficient funding for new equipment.
The report recommends that the state school board explore funding for the new equipment.
“Access to personal devices is critical for maintaining continuity of learning, enabling students to explore, research, and expand their knowledge base seamlessly,” the report states. “By providing the necessary technology, schools ensure students can actively participate in digital learning opportunities, fostering deeper engagement and academic growth.”
In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation instructing the state’s Department of Public Instruction to transition from print resources to digital, DPI spokeswoman Jeanie McDowell told The Center Square.
“Twelve years later, most schools rely heavily on digital resources that are accessed via student devices,” McDowell said.
Those devices include Chromebooks, MacBooks and iPads, McDowell said.
Most schools have been able to provide their students with portable devices through federal grants.
“As many of those devices are now several years old, our public schools have shared the need to replace or ‘refresh’ those devices, but unfortunately, over half of North Carolina’s public school units do not currently have the funds to do so,” McDowell said. “As a result, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is advocating for the General Assembly to provide public schools with the funding needed to continue the state’s investment in student technology needs.”
In the recently approved 2025 budget priorities, the Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education are requesting for $152.6 million in state funding to begin refreshing student devices, McDowell said.
Spending on education was the largest share of the last state budget at $17.9 billion for 2024-25, and $17.3 billion for 2023-24 of the $60.7 billion two-year plan. North Carolina’s 11 million population includes more than 1.5 million children in public schools.
“These priorities are currently being shared with law and policymakers,” she said.
