FCPS often prides itself as delivering the most “cutting-edge” education to its students. As the 11th largest school district in the nation, it should provide such an education.

However, it seems as if FCPS is falling behind in one important front for students: technology-loan programs. Many school districts in the nation already foster programs that loan computing technology to students. Some, such as Virginia’s own Hernico County, boast programs that lend over 20,000 laptops to students each year.

More importantly, all of these programs are funded by the counties’ respective state governments. In fact, Virginia recently agreed to contribute to the $400,000 that Arlington County Public Schools used to purchase iPads to distribute to students, initiated last year.

FCPS should join this growing trend in order to best serve its student population. In AHS half of students live under poverty. For such students, it is a burden to complete homework requiring technology. Public education should ease the financial burden of American families.

Since, as evinced by the Hernico County program, Virginia is willing to commit money to foster such loan-programs, there is no apparent reason that FCPS should not partake in such programs.

As outlets for education become increasingly digitized and reliant on technology, it is clear that it is increasingly necessary to provide students with the means to access such outlets. Last school year, the student-to-computer ratio was 2.4:1. Ideally, in a changing world, the ratio should be 1:1. If FCPS wants to remain competitive with the rest of the nation’s top-performing school districts, it should plan on initiating such technology-loan programs soon.