Budget » The Guide to Implementing Digital Learning

To promote effective and efficient uses of digital tools and resources, spending should align with the district vision for digital learning. Strategic short- and long-term budgeting is essential as states, districts, and schools continue to make investments in bandwidth, networking, devices, and digital instructional materials to support effective digital learning. The National Education Technology Plan (NETP 2017) recommends that once a district establishes a vision for the use of technology, district and school leaders should examine existing budgets to identify areas in which spending can be reduced or eliminated to pay for learning technologies. As districts are often challenged financially when it comes to implementing technology initiatives and programs, they should also consider creative funding for the implementation of digital learning. Cost savings can take place when technology based tools and resources are not viewed as additional costs but as an opportunity to shift funding to support learning in the digital age.

Transformative Budgeting

The following three essential strategies characterize transformative budgeting when applied to technology readiness for digital learning:

Alignment of technology expenditures with the goals in the district’s strategic plans.
A cross-functional budget leadership team that brings together finance, technology, curriculum and instruction.
Zero-based budgeting – a process through which education leaders begin each budget cycle at zero in each category, and then add costs to the budget only when there is evidence that such costs are required to meet goals.

Key Questions

What are the regulations and statutes on acquiring instructional materials?
What you can buy when – core vs supplemental, intervention?
What is the budget for selecting and adopting instructional materials?
Have you considered transformative budgeting (i.e., re-purposing funds)?
Does your budget differ for core materials versus supplemental materials?
What costs would you incur to modify the OER to fit your district/schools learning standards?
What is the cost comparison between using digital OER and printing OER materials?
Will you need to increase your internet capacity to utilize the materials?
Do you need to upgrade your content delivery platform?
Do all of your teachers and students have access to non-shared devices?
- If not, how are you addressing this issue?
- Have you considered a BYOD program?

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Total Cost of Ownership

Total cost of ownership includes ALL of the costs for the acquisition of digital tools and resources. For example, additional cost to consider for acquiring instructional materials:

cost of digital instructional materials
print costs of downloaded materials
licensing fees for programs or apps;
purchase of devices;
increasing internet bandwidth;
implementing wireless spots;
a new or updated content delivery platform;
technology maintenance and updates;
curation of the materials;
professional development and training.

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Value of Investment

The value of investment evaluates the anticipated costs and benefits of a project. CoSN developed a methodology for districts to estimate the total costs and expected strategic benefits of proposed technology initiatives. CoSN’s VOI tool includes a project cost estimator and project benefits tool. The VOI process can help districts evaluate proposed projects, compare projects and present costs and benefits to stakeholders.

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Sustainability

Education leaders need to understand the sustainability of funding sources. For example, if a grant enabled the district to purchase digital instructional materials that have annual licensing requirements, the district needs to consider how they will pay for the licensing fees after the completion of the grant. Additionally, the district must analyze costs and plan for upgrades for digital instructional resources.

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Facilitator Guide
The Facilitator Guide – Budget provides education leaders with the information and resources they need to conduct a professional learning session. Participants will:

Learn more about budgeting for digital learning

Collaborate with colleagues on key questions related to digital learning budgets

Acquire resources to support budget planning and considerations

Develop and maintain relationships with other district and state leaders

Resources

Curriculum Associates’ Guide to Purchasing EdTech the Right Way

Curriculum Associates’ The Science Behind i-Ready’s Adaptive Diagnostic