Mapping What's Ahead in 2026

Welcome to the first Trail Report of 2026. As schools and districts step into a new year, planning conversations are already shifting toward resilience, visibility, and preparedness. This issue brings together real-world lessons from recent school incidents, timely perspectives from across the education IT landscape, and an opportunity to help shape where planning and priorities go next.

When Planning Is in Place Before It's Needed. Sheridan City School District offers a strong example of what thoughtful, long-term planning can look like in a school environment. Faced with aging infrastructure and growing safety and connectivity needs, the district took a proactive approach focused on visibility, reliability, and alignment with broader district goals. Rather than reacting to individual problems as they surfaced, Sheridan CSD worked through a phased strategy that strengthened both physical and digital infrastructure. The result was a more resilient environment that supports day-to-day learning while also preparing the district for future challenges.

When a School's Systems Go Dark, the Community Feels It. A recent cyberattack at Higham Lane School and Sixth Form in the UK forced the school to close while core systems, phones, email, servers, and management platforms, were taken offline. During the response, staff and students were instructed not to access systems while external specialists and government cyber response teams supported investigation and recovery. Incidents like this highlight how closely technology is tied to communication, learning, and trust within school communities. When systems are disrupted, the impact extends well beyond IT.

What Education IT Leaders Are Watching in 2026. Infrastructure decisions continue to play a central role in safety, learning, and operational continuity. From campus connectivity conversations at CITE to endpoint visibility and threat response, the pattern is consistent: districts that plan ahead and align technology to mission are better positioned for whatever comes next.

Understanding Ransomware Risk. A clear picture of how ransomware attacks unfold, and why they continue to impact schools and public organizations, is useful for teams aligning on shared awareness and preparedness. Wi-Fi 7 and AI-assisted network management are also quickly shifting from aspirational to real planning priorities, especially for high-density campus environments that need reliable, low-latency connectivity.

As 2026 begins, Pine Cove is continuing Pathfinder 360 to better understand how technology decisions connect to long-term goals across schools and communities. The IT Sasquatch is what happens when planning goes missing in the woods. This short survey helps identify how close your organization may be, and where clearer paths forward could make a difference. Take the survey at pinecc.com/field-survey.