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TechMod funding cut leaves MCPS warning of delayed refreshes and security costs
Summary
MCPS said it requested $33.9 million for TechMod in FY27 but received $16.9 million, and warned the reduction will affect device refresh cycles, infrastructure upgrades and cybersecurity preparations as hardware prices rise.
Kimberly Fields told the council that MCPS requested $33,900,000 for technology modernization (TechMod) in FY27 but was approved for $16,900,000, a reduction she said will affect device refreshes, server and network updates, and purchases of instructional technology.
"We did request $33,900,000; we were approved for $16,900,000," she said, and added that global hardware price increases—"anywhere from 15 to 40%"—are increasing cost pressures. Fields said the district relies on the federal E‑Rate program and, if current rates hold, could receive up to about an 80% rebate this year.
On cybersecurity, MCPS flagged Maryland Senate Bill 601 as establishing minimum benchmarks that will require additional training and likely new costs; Fields said MCPS has internal emergency plans and runs tabletop exercises to find gaps in incident response. "We do actually have that laid out internally," she said about incident planning.
