Districts and IT leaders are under increasing pressure to deliver more with less. While hardware investments and major software platforms receive the most scrutiny, subtle cost centers often go unnoticed. But day after day, they form a quiet tide of inefficiency—one that stretches IT teams thin and diverts resources away from instruction. Even well-intentioned tech strategies can bleed resources without a coordinated strategy.

In this piece, we break down five common (and costly) ways money quietly leaks through school tech ecosystems:

Aging Displays & Boards—Endless replacements that strain your budget.
Dongles, Cables & Adapters—Fragile tools that break and bleed funds.
Redundant Systems—Paying twice for overlapping functions.
Inconsistent Classroom Tech—Confusion for teachers, chaos for IT.
Platform Lock-In & Access Gaps—Inflexible tools that cost more and secure less.

We’ll also explore real-world examples of a district that’s flipped the script on tech planning and a framework for taking back control—with strategies to contain costs, reduce IT strain, and support learning at scale.

#1. Aging Displays & Boards: Lifecycle Replacement Costs That Never End

Legacy displays and interactive whiteboards may still function—but they’re often unreliable, incompatible with new tools, and frustrating to use. When embedded processors lag or stop receiving updates, districts are forced to replace devices long before the display hardware itself fails.

In the 2023 EdTech article Envision New Life for Devices as Refresh Cycles Approach, experts Ted Bartnik and Tom Ashley recognize the widespread dilemma,

“After making massive device purchases early in the pandemic, many K–12 CTOs are looking for sustainable ways to manage their refresh cycles. In most cases, districts won’t be able to refresh all of the devices they purchased two or three years ago at once.”

Instead of replacing aging displays one by one, school districts should shift toward hardware-agnostic solutions that breathe new life into existing equipment. Avoid tech that locks you into a single hardware vendor or requires high-spec boards. Instead:

Conduct an audit of display age and usage to identify candidates for revitalization—not replacement.
Invest in add-on solutions that can layer functionality (like wireless sharing and signage) onto older hardware.
Prioritize interoperability, so the next wave of devices integrates seamlessly.

#2. Dongles, Cables & Adapters: Small Tools, Sneaky Budget Drains

It’s easy to overlook accessories—until they disappear. USB adapters, HDMI cords, and the like may seem minor, but they’re constantly misplaced, broken, or outdated. Even the largest companies in the world, like Apple, grapple with this costly issue. Dubbed the “Dongle Dilemma” by BBC News reporter Dave Lee, Apple acknowledged the budget-draining effect of constant repair, replacement, and mis-match issues. At one point, Apple sold 17 different types of dongles—an issue all too relatable for district IT admins, who often juggle at least that same variability in dongles and devices

Director of Technology Peter Emmel at Randolph Township Schools in New Jersey, summed it up simply—and painfully:

“We were bleeding money in dongles… People weren’t bringing them back. Or they’d break. Or they’d need a different one.”

Over time, these accessories introduce compounding costs in both parts and downtime. Treat these “small” costs as symptoms of a larger system issue. A more resilient infrastructure starts with:

Investing in wireless technology that minimizes physical connection points and failure-prone accessories.
Standardizing classroom setups, so every room works the same way and support needs drop dramatically.
Budgeting for reliability, not just affordability—tools that break less often deliver long-term value.

#3. Redundancy Across Platforms and Systems: Overpaying for the Overlap

Announcements, signage, and broadcasting often require separate tools, subscriptions, or legacy AV equipment. Despite overlapping functionality, districts continue to purchase multiple platforms to meet basic needs.

Without a unified strategy, schools spend more for less—and multiply the time spent on training and troubleshooting. As Lead Systems Engineer James Beighley, Cleveland County Schools, put it:

“We had multiple ways of doing it that cost a lot of money—buying equipment… sound mixers and different controllers and stuff like that.”

Beyond the complication of managing so much equipment, the operating costs can quickly spiral out of control. Technology Trainer Specialist Kitchell Schneider, Parkhill School District, put it simply:

“We couldn’t afford to support five different platforms.”

To solve this problem, tech leaders are consolidating by prioritizing tools that are integrated, flexible, and provide wide utility. According to a recent EdSurge article, cost, overlap, and usage are the three main criteria driving consolidation decisions.

Redundancy often comes from incremental purchases made without systemwide alignment. To reduce waste:

Consolidate tools: Look for a platform that offers district-wide connectivity, supporting all of the major tech functionality needs seen in schools such as screen mirroring in the classroom, announcements, digital signage, and live broadcasting all in one.
Replace manual processes (like desktop-based loops) with centrally managed, cloud-based options.
Review all recurring software fees and eliminate overlapping services.

#4. Inconsistent Tech Set Ups: Chaos That Compounds

A different setup in every room doesn’t just confuse teachers—it stalls learning. Without standardization, substitutes and traveling staff spend valuable time adapting to unfamiliar equipment. Consistent classroom experiences reduce IT support calls and enhance instructional continuity. Fewer variations mean fewer variables to support and fewer minutes lost in transition.

A consortium of leading ed tech organizations including 1EdTech, CAST, CoSN, Digital Promise, InnovateEDU, ISTE, and SETDA, came together to help define the most important indictors for ed tech tools. Their findings, addressed in Easing the Burden on Schools: Five Quality Indicators for Edtech & AI Products, identify “Usability” as one of the top five ed tech quality indicators, stating:

“Edtech products must be designed to be easily usable by educators and students to ensure a seamless digital experience. If the product is not easy to use, it creates an unnecessary barrier and educators and students will struggle to use the tool.”

Inconsistency isn’t just inconvenient—it’s expensive—leading to underutilized purchases. Every variation in classroom setup increases training time, support tickets, and risk of underuse. To mitigate:

Standardize the user experience across room types and hardware configurations.
Implement cloud-managed platforms that allow remote monitoring, updates, and access control.
Ensure cross-device compatibility to avoid retraining every time a teacher or sub walks in the room.

#5. Platform Lock-In & Complex Access Control: Overspending to Make It Work

When tools are tied to specific ecosystems—or lack role-based access—districts often purchase multiple systems just to ensure coverage. This not only fragments data and workflows but increases costs.

Access control, security, and device compatibility are no longer luxuries—they’re essentials, but they come at a cost. According to the Key Findings from CoSN’s 2025 State of EdTech District Leadership report, cybersecurity and interoperability pose some of the most pressing challenges:

“Most school districts do not have dedicated funding to keep their networks and data secure, with 61% relying on general funds to pay for cybersecurity efforts. The majority (78%) invest in monitoring, detection and response tactics…

While there are procedures around the purchase of digital tools, free tools that are downloaded in an ad hoc manner put district data at risk.”

Platform-specific systems require you to over-buy just to achieve coverage. Meanwhile, lack of access control introduces costly disruptions. Future-ready districts are:

Avoiding device-specific platforms and investing in OS-agnostic, identity-based tools.
Tightening screen sharing permissions to prevent unauthorized use.
Deploying cloud-based admin systems to assign roles, monitor access, and troubleshoot from anywhere.

A Real-World Model for Strategic Planning

In the Mountain View–Los Altos High School District, IT Director Bob Fishtrom faced a patchwork of outdated tech infrastructure and chaotic classroom setups. He and his team took a future-ready approach, focusing on standardizing devices, leveraging multi-functional platforms, and designing scalable classroom models.

As highlighted in Government Tech’s article, How One IT Director Prepped His District for Years of Change, key steps included:

A uniform, future-ready tech stack in all 230 classrooms. These tech stacks included laptops, docking stations, document cameras, and Vivi—a wireless presentation and school communication platform. This approach means that teachers know exactly what to expect and how to connect and tech teams have seen a significant drop in support tickets.

 Vivi was deployed across nearly every display in the district—TVs, interactive panels, and projectors alike. It enables seamless screen sharing, digital signage, and real-time communication from any device, all managed through a centralized, cloud-based platform. Tucked discreetly behind each screen, this compact device acts as the system’s connective tissue—what Fishtrom calls “the magic.” By working across all display types and operating systems, Vivi ensures a uniform, future-ready experience that scales easily and requires far less IT support.

Cloud-enabled infrastructure that allowed teachers to plug in and teach from anywhere without IT intervention.

Future-focused planning, driven by staff input, with documentation and monthly reviews to sustain improvements long after pandemic relief funds ran out.

Fishtrom’s district didn’t just replace broken tech—they invested in alignment, consistency, and efficiency. The Mountain View Los-Altos team demonstrated that it’s possible to build a sustainable, scalable classroom ecosystem that puts reliability before replacement. This approach simplifies classroom tech, stretches budgets further, and safeguards instructional time and equity.

Taking Back Control: Key Takeaways

This isn’t about cutting back—it’s about spending smarter. The goal isn’t more tools, it’s better alignment. Savvy district leaders are building capacity and maximizing value by anchoring decisions to future-forward, budget-smart principles, including:

Audit, Don’t Auto-Replace: Extend the life of aging displays by layering in flexible tools instead of defaulting to full replacements.

Standardize to Simplify: Unify classroom setups to reduce support tickets, boost teacher confidence, and preserve instructional time.

Consolidate Redundancies: Replace overlapping systems with all-in-one platforms that handle screen sharing, signage, announcements, and more.

Choose Flexibility Over Lock-In: Invest in device-agnostic, cloud-managed solutions that work across ecosystems and scale with your district’s evolving needs.

The districts seeing the biggest wins aren’t spending more—they’re spending with intention. Build a system that works today and prepares you for tomorrow.

By focusing on flexibility, connectivity, and all-in-one functionality, district leaders are choosing platforms that stretch their investments further, reduce operational strain, and keep more funding where it belongs: in the classroom.

Vivi is one of those platforms.

It’s the connective layer that makes aging displays smart again, untangles device chaos, and gives IT leaders the visibility and control they’ve been missing.

Don’t wait for another round of replacements.
See how districts are using Vivi’s cost-efficient solution to modernize smartly—without tearing out what already works.