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Osceola expands device-leasing pilot after vendor change reduces computer repair downtime
Summary
After switching vendors and piloting leased devices at seven schools, district staff reported repair turnaround improved and are expanding leasing to 14 schools to reduce student downtime; staff described the leasing refresh cycle as four years.
Osceola County School District leaders reported improvements in device turnaround after a midyear vendor change and said they are expanding a leasing pilot to reduce student downtime and simplify device refresh cycles.
Staff said last summer’s volume of repairs created significant downtime that affected student access. A vendor change in the second half of the year shortened repair turnaround from months to weeks; staff reported a most-recent average downtime of about 1.81 days measured in the last quarter, down toward the district goal of roughly 1.27 days. “Things that were taking months are now taking weeks to get returned,” a presenter said.
The district described a leasing option that allows schools to exchange damaged devices for new ones quickly rather than waiting for repair. Staff said the pilot currently covers 5,000 leased devices at seven schools and will expand to 10,000 devices across 14 schools, with a planned refresh/lease term of four years. Staff also said leased-device vendors perform twice-weekly sweeps to collect damaged devices and that some pilot schools showed far fewer damaged devices after rollout.
Board members asked how the district defines “downtime.” Staff answered that downtime measures the time between device damage and the student receiving another working device; the district’s operational goal is that students not be without a device for more than a day. Staff noted other device-related purchases — such as headphones — remain district-purchased items outside leasing agreements.
Staff framed leasing as a response to technology depreciation and the logistical costs of maintaining large inventories purchased with one-time federal funds. “When that depreciation occurs ... your asset really isn't an asset anymore,” a presenter said, explaining a leasing model shifts replacement responsibility to vendors and can improve reliability.
District staff said they are also considering Apple leasing arrangements for iPads and additional refresh planning to move eventually to a fully leased district fleet if the expansion proves successful.
