Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is considering a significant four-year contract, potentially worth up to $60 million, with technology supplier CDW to implement an automated system for tracking the district’s vast inventory of tablets, laptops, and other devices. This move follows previous reports highlighting substantial losses of school technology.
Key Takeaways
- CPS aims to contract CDW for a technology tracking system costing up to $60 million over four years.
- The proposed system will utilize RFID tags already on devices for automated monitoring and inventory.
- This initiative is a response to past issues with thousands of lost or unaccounted-for devices.
- Experts caution that even advanced technology requires proper implementation and human accountability.
Addressing a Persistent Problem
The proposed contract with CDW is designed to tackle the ongoing challenge of lost and unaccounted-for technology within Chicago Public Schools. Previous investigations by Chalkbeat, WBEZ, and the district’s inspector general revealed that thousands of devices, acquired during a pandemic-era spending surge, had gone missing. A 2024 inspector general report specifically cited unacceptable numbers of lost devices and a lack of accountability in their safeguarding.
In response to these findings, CPS announced policy changes and increased staff training in early 2024. Since then, the district reports a reduction in missing devices, partly due to improved electronic location capabilities. The inspector general’s office had previously recommended that CPS either resolve issues with its existing tracking vendor or find a new solution.
How the New System Will Work
Paul Valente, CPS’s facilities automation architect, explained that the proposed CDW contract would leverage existing radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on devices. This technology allows for automatic tracking and inventorying, a significant improvement over manual methods that previously required weeks of searching for misplaced equipment. Valente, a former school technology coordinator, expressed enthusiasm for the potential efficiency gains.
Expert Opinions and Concerns
While acknowledging the potential benefits of an RFID system, education technology expert Bart Epstein raised concerns. He noted Chicago’s history of acquiring asset management technology without fully utilizing it. Epstein emphasized that while RFID automates the counting process, it does not eliminate the need for human oversight and proper implementation. "Even a great technology that’s poorly implemented is useless," he stated.
The district, which has approximately 150 technology coordinators, is working to better manage its more than 636,000 technology devices. CPS officials reported that recent efforts have reduced the annual loss rate to 7%, down from 11% cited in the inspector general’s report. The new contract is seen as a crucial component in continuing this progress, enabling real-time tracking of devices that leave school grounds without authorization and facilitating faster recovery.
Contract Details and Financials
Despite CPS’s ongoing financial challenges, school board members did not raise questions about the contract’s annual price tag of $15 million during a recent meeting. While officials stated CDW submitted the lowest bid, they acknowledged that a lower-cost proposal was received. The district indicated that details of the four vendor proposals would be made public only after a contract is finalized.
Additionally, the district’s facilities department is exploring the adoption of similar tracking technology from CDW for its own equipment.
Sources
- Chicago schools considering $60 million, four-year contract to track technology, Chicago Sun-Times.
Founder Dinis Guarda
IntelligentHQ Your New Business Network.
IntelligentHQ is a Business network and an expert source for finance, capital markets and intelligence for thousands of global business professionals, startups, and companies.
We exist at the point of intersection between technology, social media, finance and innovation.
IntelligentHQ leverages innovation and scale of social digital technology, analytics, news, and distribution to create an unparalleled, full digital medium and social business networks spectrum.
IntelligentHQ is working hard, to become a trusted, and indispensable source of business news and analytics, within financial services and its associated supply chains and ecosystems
