Can Decentralizing K-12 Procurement be a Game Changer for Efficiency and Efficacy?

Although US K12 spending nears $700 billion annually, the vast majority of educators feel underfunded and under-resourced. In the face of dated purchasing guidelines, supply chain inefficiencies, and unresolved feedback loops, ed leaders are rethinking the ways they conduct procurement.

Some states and districts are giving more purchasing authority to end-users, increasing stakeholder voice in the discovery, implementation, and evaluation of the curriculum, tools, and supplies they use. We see teachers participating in bid evaluation rounds, edtech pilot participants leading PD, and staff at all levels yielding discretionary spending power through P-cards.

How can district leaders and purchasing departments get ahead of this trend? How will vendors adapt their sales models? What are the risks and opportunities around decentralized K12 procurement?

Moderator: Karen Cator, CEO, Digital Promise  

Panelists: Susan Enfield, Superintendent, Highline Public Schools; Kent Freeman, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Ingram Content Group; Daniel Smith, General Manager of Education, Amazon; John Yoo, CEO, Noodle Markets