In recent months, unpredictable tariff changes in the United States have begun to impact the cost of imported technology across a wide range of industries—including education. Often imposed and rolled back with little warning, organizations of all types are finding it difficult to plan for future purchases. For schools and districts in the US, where technology plays a critical role in modern learning environments, these price changes can complicate already tight budgets.
Tariffs aren’t just a global headline. They can be a local budget nightmare, and their practical effect on educators is clear: higher prices for the tools needed to teach, communicate, and stay safe. Fortunately, there are strategies schools can adopt to remain cost-efficient and stay ahead of future price hikes.
Being in nearly 150,000 classrooms worldwide, Vivi has ample experience in helping schools save on their tech expenses. Here are five leading ways schools can help make sure that whatever the market conditions are, their students and staff have the technology they need to be successful
1. Anticipate Technology Needs
If your school or district anticipates needing new hardware or technology upgrades within the next 3–12 months, now is the time to act. By planning ahead and securing quotes or placing orders before prices rise further, schools can lock in better rates and avoid last-minute budget overruns.
In some cases, vendors will be willing to honor current pricing for purchases scheduled in the near future—so don’t wait to start those conversations.
2. Consolidate Tech Vendors
Many school districts rely on a patchwork of technology vendors to meet their diverse needs. However, working with multiple providers often leads to inefficiencies in both cost and management. Consider exploring integrated solutions that address multiple classroom and campus needs through a single platform. Vivi, for instance, covers wireless screen mirroring, digital signage, and visual emergency alerts all in one, centralized platform, enabling our customers to eliminate redundant technology
3. Leverage Grant Opportunities
Grants remain a powerful, and sometimes underutilized, resource for schools navigating rising costs. Both federal and state-level programs offer funding for educational technology—often with specific focus areas such as classroom engagement, school safety, or digital equity. Schools that select multi-functional tech solutions may find that a single grant can cover multiple objectives, maximizing the impact of each dollar.
Check out Vivi’s Funding page to identify common sources of technology funding.
4. Consider Switching Hardware
When schools make large investments in a particular technology, they often feel locked-in to that choice, even if they’re not seeing the desired value from it, for fear that switching out hardware will be prohibitively expensive or complicated. And when the time comes for that technology to be replaced, they have no choice but to contend with rising costs.
Sometimes, though, switching to a different solution can be easier, less expensive, and even better for student engagement.
For instance, this New York City school was looking to replace their interactive flat panels (IFPs) but was concerned about the price tag. You can imagine their relief when they discovered that they could outfit their entire school with Vivi’s award-winning technology paired with projectors simply and for the same price as just one new IFP.
This goes to show that switching over to new technology doesn’t have to break the bank or overwhelm technology teams. So don’t be afraid to explore other options that achieve your goals. You might be pleasantly surprised!
5. Prioritize Software-Based Solutions When Possible
Since tariffs primarily affect imported physical goods, software-based technologies are an effective workaround. Before purchasing hardware-heavy solutions, consider whether a software alternative exists. For example, tools like Vivi that offer wireless screen sharing, campus communications and more all through our Vivi Display App, can help avoid tariff-driven cost spikes while delivering scalable, flexible functionality.
Vivi is Here to Help
Tariffs and budget uncertainty don’t wait – and neither should you. At Vivi, we understand how unpredictable pricing makes budgeting harder for educators who are already doing more with less. That’s why we offer budget-maximizing site licenses, bulk-purchase discounts, and guidance on grant funding. For even further savings, our software-based platform provides all the benefits of Vivi—all without the need for hardware upgrades.
