The School Board is facing a significant and unexpected challenge as it prepares for the next school year: the cost of student and staff laptops has risen far beyond what the district budgeted just a few months ago. During its recent meeting, the Board heard a detailed explanation from Superintendent Dan Moulis and Business Administrator Jenny Graves about why the district is now seeking to purchase a portion of next year’s devices early – before the end of the current fiscal year – in an effort to stay ahead of rapidly escalating prices.
The district’s technology plan calls for routine replacement of student and staff computers on a rolling schedule. When the FY27 budget was developed last fall, the district anticipated purchasing 250 student laptops for Hudson Memorial and Alvirne High School, along with 60 devices for each elementary school. At that time, the estimated cost per student device was approximately $350 – a figure based on market conditions that have since shifted dramatically.
Moulis told the Board that updated quotes show a steep jump in pricing, with the lowest bid coming in at $531.10 per student laptop, nearly $200 more per device than originally planned. “A dramatic increase,” he said, emphasizing that the district had not anticipated such a sharp rise in such a short period of time.
According to Moulis, one of the biggest drivers of the price spike is the booming artificial intelligence industry. Companies developing AI tools are purchasing massive amounts of memory and storage components, which has tightened supply and pushed up costs across the entire computer hardware market. “That is the key driver that’s causing these quotes to come in much higher,” he explained.
The district is seeing similar increases for staff devices. The budget assumed a cost of roughly $750 per laptop for teachers and staff, but the updated quote came in at $1,084.80 – more than $300 higher per unit. The district had planned to purchase 50 staff devices, but at current pricing, that number would not be feasible within the approved budget.
Because of these increases, Moulis said the district is proposing to shift part of next year’s planned purchases into FY26. Specifically, the district would buy 30 staff laptops and 250 student laptops now, using savings from various IT line items in the current budget. The goal is to secure as many devices as possible before prices climb even further.
Business Administrator Jenny Graves told the Board that the request was essentially a proactive move to avoid a major shortfall next year. Even with the early purchases, the district would still end up with the same total number of devices planned for FY 27 – the timing would simply shift. “He still needs the same number of devices,” Graves said, referring to the technology department’s replacement schedule.
Without adjusting the purchasing timeline, the district would face a significant deficit. Based on current pricing, Graves explained, the FY27 budget would only allow the district to purchase 35 staff devices and would leave them 215 student devices short across the schools. That kind of shortfall would disrupt the district’s replacement cycle and potentially leave classrooms without adequate technology.
Graves also noted that deferring the issue until FY27 would not solve the problem unless the district allocated additional funds – something that is not currently planned. “Unless more funds are added, they would be short devices based on current pricing,” she said.
Both Graves and Moulis emphasized that the district has identified savings in the IT budget this year that can be used to cover the early purchases without affecting other departments or programs. Those savings, they said, make it possible to absorb the higher costs now rather than face a larger problem later.
After hearing the presentation and discussing the implications, the School Board voted to approve the early purchase plan. The decision allows the district to move forward immediately with ordering the laptops, securing the devices needed for students and staff before prices rise again.