Federal stimulus money bought new technology for Philly students, but many schools lost track of where items went
A significant amount of Philadelphia public schools’ technology and other equipment goes missing each year due to poor inventory and tracking.
As back-to-school season arrives, school staff across the nation have been diligently preparing classrooms with the necessary supplies and equipment for the 2026-27 academic year. However, the School District of Philadelphia has faced scrutiny for its lack of accountability in managing capital assets. Capital assets, defined as items with a useful life of over one year and costing at least $5,000, include items such as pianos, laptops and smartboards.
The Philadelphia school district holds over $2.8 billion in capital assets, but a recent report by the city controller's office found that over 60% of these assets were not properly recorded in the official ledgers and were unable to be located.
The report, published in February 2026, listed various items such as printers, computers and even a lunchroom table that were misplaced or improperly disposed of. While this does not necessarily mean that a large percentage of assets were lost or stolen, it does indicate a systemic problem with recording, tracking and disposing of these resources.
The issue is not unique to Philadelphia, as many school districts across the country have been found to lack appropriate inventorying of purchases, in direct violation of federal procurement requirements.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March 2020, had a devastating impact on students, schools and school districts. Federal stimulus funds were allocated to help schools recover from the learning gaps caused by school closures. Philadelphia public schools received a total of $1.8 billion in federal stimulus funds between 2020 and 2024, which were spent on a variety of items, including new laptops, tablets, upgraded HVAC systems and even social-emotional support resources like weighted blankets and noise-canceling headphones.
The decaying tracking systems and decentralized approach to recording assets in the Philadelphia school district have presented challenges in maintaining proper inventory and reconciling purchases. Recommendations for improvement include strengthening the centralized tracking of capital assets and ensuring proper utilization of inventory systems by departments and schools. These measures aim to ensure that all school district assets are accounted for and available for student learning.
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