TECHNOLOGY
Texas schools made huge progress in closing digital divide. Will it last?
Shortly after the beginning of the second semester in January, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath declared that the state had “basically completely closed” gaps in student access to take-home computers, largely thanks to massive state and local purchases amid the pandemic.
“It’s pretty remarkable when we’ve talked about the digital divide for the better part of 20 years in the country, and we will have effectively bridged it with computing devices at the scale of Texas,” Morath said.
That success, however, could prove short-lived without more investment in the coming years.
Texas education leaders say a simple reality — computers break, get old and need replacing — means they will need an infusion of money to sustain the remarkable effort to outfit millions of children with athome technology.
As it stands, state and federal lawmakers have not announced plans for keeping the so-called digital divide closed, which likely will cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually in Texas. The state’s public school districts spent roughly $1 billion in the past 12 months on computers and wireless internet hot spots, mostly relying on one-time federal stimulus funds.
Lawmakers have time to craft proposals for funding computer purchases, but their window is relatively short. Many school districts aim to replace computers every four or five years, largely due to wear and tear and changes in software.
As a result, some education leaders and advocates are in the early stages of mapping out long-term plans for paying for students’ at-home computer and internet access.
“There are definitely some conversations that are being had here at the district level on what does that begin to look like,” said Houston ISD Chief Technology Information Officer Scott Gilhousen, whose district bought nearly 110,000 computers in the past 12 months. “If the district is going to continue to support that path, then we definitely need to start thinking about the funding streams and how we’re going to be able to pay for this.”
The availability of at-home technology is proving vital amid the pandemic for Texas’ 5.3 million public schoolchildren, nearly half of whom remained in online-only classes as of late October.
However, many education leaders heralded the benefits of take-home computers long before the public health crisis. They argued the access allows students to complete homework, conduct research and fill out college applications, among other benefits. Equity advocates also noted that students from lower-income families were less likely to have at-home technology, widening achievement and college enrollment gaps.
Some districts provided laptops to students in high school prior to the pandemic, while a small fraction extended the benefit to middle schoolers. They largely relied on general operating revenues, which sometimes meant less money for other areas of instruction, as well as bond revenues and nonprofit support.
Without pledges of additional state or federal support, education leaders could tap those sources again, albeit at significantly greater amounts.
Karen Hickman, Pasadena ISD’s deputy superintendent of academic achievement, said district leaders have already discussed adding student computers to an upcoming bond proposal, though she cautioned plans remains highly tentative. Pasadena officials bought more than 25,000 computers in the past year through a state bulk purchasing effort, known as Operation Connectivity, and direct orders to manufacturers.
“We’re going to plan locally and depend on ourselves, but we’ll be incredibly grateful if state and federal money comes through,” Hickman said.
Although details on potential state and federal plans remain scant, some education leaders are hopeful that the pandemic has illuminated the benefits of closing the digital divide, ultimately resulting in greater investment.
“I’m very optimistic, Gilhousen said. “When you start to look at the importance of digital connection across the nation, everybody understands that now.”