Tips for Stretching Your Education Budget
A school’s or district’s budget can sometimes run out quickly, and educators find themselves having to decide between new materials for students, technology, software, or even maintenance for the school.
During the summer months, leaders and administrators begin to make preparations for the next school year, including planning the budget and expenditures for the district. At the end of the day, they want to provide their students and staff with the best, but often fall short because of budgetary concerns. The trick just may be to stretch the budget as much as possible, getting the most bang for your buck.
There are countless resources online to help your budget do the most for you, but we’ve rounded up the top tips and tricks to save money on technology!
Bulk purchasing:
“On the surface, this is obvious. Roll the year’s (or semester or other timeframe’s) purchasing into one big order and get multiple quotes to identify the best discount. But it’s also possible to go further. A county-wide bundle—beyond the school system—can lead to even better deals from vendors. There are also opportunities for partnerships within the state and with different types of institutions.”
Don’t maintain equipment that is outdated or not repairable
Maintaining that old overhead projector or VHS player is like investing money in something that is not going to give much in return. Instead, slowly phase these technologies out or even sell them to make room and funds available for something more beneficial to the students.
Get the right equipment for what is needed, not necessarily the most powerful or cutting edge
Purchase the least expensive technology that will suit your needs and that is reliable. Students don’t need computers in every classroom, and something they might need in English might not be necessary in Math or other classrooms. Also, mid-range and low-end gear is sufficient for educational needs, seeing that powerful computers and other equipment are designed for heavy workloads.
Use free/open source software
“Web-based software apps are becoming increasingly popular, and many apps for tablets are, if not free, available in a “lite” version that often is free. This is a great way to try out programs without committing to spending large portions of your technology budget. You can pilot apps with groups of students, study their comparative efficacy and, if the students, teachers, and admin agree that something is worthwhile, you can invest your budget in the full paid version. This saves money that could be otherwise wasted buying apps that might end up being useless.”
