Powhatan technology director urges immediate multifactor authentication, flags aging network and device costs

Powhatan County School Board members were told at the Feb. 6 budget workshop that the school division's technology infrastructure and student-device fleets are nearing end of life after emergency expansions during the COVID period, and that the division needs near-term cybersecurity and device-refresh investments.

The technology director told the board that many devices purchased during the pandemic are now at four-year or longer "end of life" and that the division has already paid roughly $44,000 for out-of-warranty Chromebook repairs since July 1. "We pay them to refresh our devices every summer," the director said, and noted that repair costs are concentrated at one middle school. The director described a near-term plan to establish a multi-year device-refresh rotation so replacement and maintenance can be budgeted predictably.

On cybersecurity the director said the division must take immediate steps. "We're going to do it. We have to do it," he said of rolling out multifactor authentication (MFA) for staff and students who access division systems. He also described needs for improved endpoint detection and response (EDR), more consistent network hardware to allow secure virtual LANs, and upgrades to firewalls and wireless access points. The presentation noted existing E-rate (federal schools and libraries program) category-2 funds that could help pay for infrastructure but explained Powhatan's current reimbursement rate (about 60% reimbursement, 40% local match) limits how much the program will cover without a local contribution.

Devices and instructional technology: Staff confirmed much of the division's instructional software spend was moved out of the technology line into instruction for clearer reporting; the director described the instructional platforms in use (Schoology, ClassLink, PowerSchool, Formative, Lexia and others) and said staff are investigating whether state-level licensing could reduce some division costs for programs such as Lexia.

Why it matters: School cybersecurity incidents at large vendors and other districts underscore operational risk for school divisions. Staff said the division must budget for regular device refresh cycles, stronger endpoint monitoring and layered security tools, and should consider instructional tradeoffs such as whether all students should take devices home or whether cart-based or mixed models reduce breakage and costs.

Next steps: The technology director said staff will begin an MFA rollout immediately, pursue E-rate and other funding, propose a four-year device-refresh plan, and return with firm cost estimates and options for the board and public to review as part of the FY26 budget process.