Educational technology costs can prevent schools from investing in other priorities.
Imagine a school wants to scale its existing student-device ratio so that every student can have their own Chromebook. School leaders begin sourcing devices on their own and discover that even the most basic Chromebook costs roughly $200. Given their enrollment and the number of devices the school has on hand, school leaders then determine they’ll need to purchase roughly 250 new Chromebooks to ensure each child receives their own. At $50,000 dollars, however, the price tag required to achieve the leaders’ goals is far outside their existing budgetary constraints. Moreover, they’ve been hoping for years to invest in a new science curriculum, expand their classroom library, and hire an additional paraprofessional to assist students with special needs. Faced with these competing priorities, the school chooses not to expand its Chromebook suite, and students suffer as a result.
CTS helps schools avoid these scenarios through careful management of our partner schools’ technology costs. From the successful implementation of your school’s E-rate bids to transparent pricing and long-term planning, our goal is to help your school manage its technology costs and daily troubleshooting burden so you can focus on educating students.
Successful implementation of your school’s E-rate bid can save your school money.
For many schools, their work with a managed IT provider starts and ends with the annual E-rate process. During the academic year, the school manages (somehow) to take care of all things technology-related in-house, but with more complex or expensive projects, they’ll leverage their annual E-rate funds and work with a managed IT, provider to implement their bid.
Unfortunately, once the managed IT provider’s work begins, schools can find themselves saddled with additional costs they didn’t anticipate in their budget. Soon enough, the cost for which the school bid begins to rise, and the project takes longer and longer, threatening to run up against the start of the school year. At CTS, we work with our partner schools to ensure that their bids are accomplished in a time-sensitive manner, all while remaining within the school’s budgetary constraints. By partnering with CTS, schools can submit their E-rate bid knowing they’ll receive a realistic response on which they can base their allocation of other scarce resources.
Transparent pricing is key to establishing predictable educational technology costs.
For schools that choose to work with a managed IT provider, CTS offers transparent and flexible service packages to meet the needs of schools large and small, new and established. Whether your school needs daily troubleshooting support, help with a complex educational technology project, or simply needs a strategic thought partner to work through purchasing decisions, our plans have a solution that meets the school’s needs.
Rather than volatile costs from month to month, CTS offers a flat, consistent service rate that allows schools to anticipate their monthly costs and invest resources in other instructional priorities. Our partners don’t end up having to choose between the latest and greatest technology upgrade and expansion of their classroom libraries: we work with school leaders to craft plans that meet their educational needs while also respecting the school’s financial constraints.
A full suite of technology professionals can often prove less costly than an in-house team.
Small schools, in particular, can often save money by working with a managed IT provider rather than paying the salary of a single in-house team member responsible for all things technology-related at the school. Moreover, it’s often difficult to find someone who wants to conduct daily troubleshooting with teachers, students, and even families but can also forecast the technology needs of the school years in advance and plan for critical school technology projects like end-of-year close-out and launch. By partnering with CTS, schools can save money while also receiving higher-quality services from a team of experts with decades of combined experience in the educational technology sector.
CTS’s strategic insights allow schools to invest in the technology of tomorrow.
Our team’s experience in the educational technology sector allows us to provide insights to schools that inform their purchasing decisions and budgeting processes. It’s not realistic to expect a school principal to stay up to date on the latest trends in educational technology. We do that work for our partner schools so that they can focus on supporting their teachers and students. If a piece of educational technology is likely to become obsolete in the near future, we let you know so that you can spend your money elsewhere.
At CTS, we help schools manage their educational technology costs so they can accomplish their unique missions.
Our team is deeply invested in the work of our partner schools and helps school leaders use their technology resources to impact student achievement. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help your school accomplish its unique mission.
