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Tech director: device replacement costs doubled; district to weigh one‑to‑one strategy
Summary
Director of technology Paul Signs told the board that device unit costs have roughly doubled (reported increase from $400 to $800), raising the county’s replacement bill to about $800,000 for 1,000 devices; he urged a timely decision on whether to continue one‑to‑one devices for lower grades and flagged state filter‑contract changes.
Paul Signs, Preston County Schools’ director of technology, gave the board a detailed operational update on Jan. 12 and said the district’s plan to replace devices faces a sharp cost increase.
"My devices, which I'm planning on replacing a thousand devices this year, has doubled in cost from $400 a device to $800 a device," Signs said, and added that at current prices replacing 1,000 devices would cost about $800,000.
Signs reported roughly 1,800 work orders in the first half of the year, with about 72% completed within two days, and said routine repair categories include broken screens (116 this cycle) and lost or damaged chargers. He said supply pressures for memory and components — which vendors are attributing to increased demand for AI‑capable hardware — are driving prices up.
On policy and procurement, Signs said the district must decide whether to continue one‑to‑one device issuance in lower grades. He outlined options: continue the one‑to‑one model, extend replacement cycles by a year, move lower grades to iPads (with tradeoffs such as keyboards and lack of headphone jacks), adopt more durable Snap‑On laptop cases, consider leasing rather than buying, or shift to scheduled computer lab/mobile carts. He and board members noted the operational burdens of each option (inventory management, device imaging, warranty disputes, and battery wear on carts).
Signs also discussed the state filtering contract: the district currently uses GoGuardian but expects the state will change providers; the state‑wide contract decision could require replacing or reimaging devices over the summer and will influence the transition timeline.
Board members requested a near‑term discussion on K–4 device policy because procurement timelines (April ordering to have devices ready for next school year) make the decision time‑sensitive. No formal procurement motion was on the Jan. 12 agenda.
The board did not vote on device strategy; administration said it will return with an options analysis and cost estimates.
