Bill would require schools to consider long-term costs of tech

North Carolina lawmakers are considering a bill that would require public schools, community colleges, and universities to evaluate the long-term costs of technology purchases and monitor repair rates of school devices. Supporters say that the measure, Senate Bill 449, would bring fiscal responsibility to purchasing decisions while promoting efficient use of technology across the state’s education system.

“This [bill] essentially just requires the K-12 system — and community college system and higher ed — to take into consideration the long-term costs of technology, which would also include the residual value,” said Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, one of the bill’s primary sponsors during the House Education Committee on Tuesday.

SB449 includes a number of mandates for schools, ranging from reporting repair and maintenance rates of devices — known as the “break/fix rate” — to gauging their resale value.

During the debate in committee, Rep. Julie von Haefen, D-Wake, raised questions about implementation costs, expressing wariness over the financial and administrative burden the bill could place on schools. 

“My concern is that technology instructors and staff are being cut in our public schools, and this is again another mandate on them, without paying out and giving them any additional resources,” von Haefen said.

Lee clarified that the bill does not mandate new spending but focuses on better stewardship of existing funds.

“The break/fix rate is the percentage of school tech devices reported malfunctioning or having to be repaired that’s not covered by insurance,” Lee said. “I am hopeful that [schools] are already using the money that the taxpayers have entrusted them to determine these issue as they go into purchasing new devices and technology. So, it’s really more of an analysis to get them to report that out so we have a sense of what that looks like across the state.”

The bill spells out specific responsibilities for each level of education. Public schools and charter schools would need to annually report break/fix rates, the total number of devices in use, devices repaired or removed from service, and the total repair or replacement costs to the State Board of Education. The board, in turn, would compile these reports and submit a summary with recommendations to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee. 

Community colleges and universities would also implement policies to assess long-term technology costs using similar criteria.

Lee framed the bill as a necessary step toward preparing the state’s schools for an increasingly digital future as reliance on technology grows and traditional textbooks are phased out.

“The cheapest today is not always the cheapest long term,” Lee said.

The bill would take effect immediately upon becoming law, with reporting requirements beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year. The first reports from educational institutions would be due by Aug. 15, 2026, with a summary report from the State Board of Education following in November.

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