TechMod funding cut leaves MCPS warning of delayed refreshes and security costs
July 27, 2026 | Montgomery County, Maryland
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Kimberly Fields told the council that MCPS requested $33,900,000 for technology modernization (TechMod) in FY27 but was approved for $16,900,000, a reduction she said will affect device refreshes, server and network updates, and purchases of instructional technology.
"We did request $33,900,000; we were approved for $16,900,000," she said, and added that global hardware price increases—"anywhere from 15 to 40%"—are increasing cost pressures. Fields said the district relies on the federal E‑Rate program and, if current rates hold, could receive up to about an 80% rebate this year.
On cybersecurity, MCPS flagged Maryland Senate Bill 601 as establishing minimum benchmarks that will require additional training and likely new costs; Fields said MCPS has internal emergency plans and runs tabletop exercises to find gaps in incident response. "We do actually have that laid out internally," she said about incident planning.
"We did request $33,900,000; we were approved for $16,900,000," she said, and added that global hardware price increases—"anywhere from 15 to 40%"—are increasing cost pressures. Fields said the district relies on the federal E‑Rate program and, if current rates hold, could receive up to about an 80% rebate this year.
On cybersecurity, MCPS flagged Maryland Senate Bill 601 as establishing minimum benchmarks that will require additional training and likely new costs; Fields said MCPS has internal emergency plans and runs tabletop exercises to find gaps in incident response. "We do actually have that laid out internally," she said about incident planning.
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