District outlines Measure A EdTech refresh, AI task force and website redesign

Pacific Grove Unified School District officials on Tuesday briefed the district’s Citizen’s Oversight Committee on Measure A educational-technology projects, saying the bond funds will pay for a multi-phase student device refresh, security camera and network upgrades, a redesigned district website and planning for an AI policy task force. Director of Educational Technology Matthew Binder gave the presentation and took committee questions.
The district described the device program as a phased refresh that replaces end-of-life Dell 3100 Chromebooks with newer HP Generation 14 devices for older students and iPads for lower grades. Binder said the Chromebook refresh began at the high school and will continue campus by campus to meet end-of-support dates for legacy equipment.
The presentation said the district can centrally manage Google Workspace for Education settings and that Google-related controls are used to restrict student access to AI tools for students. Binder told the committee that new third‑party instructional tools must be accompanied by a student data privacy agreement before they are procured.
Binder also described a redesigned district and site website completed over the summer, campus security camera upgrades including a new network video recorder, and a multi-room audiovisual upgrade for Forest Grove Elementary that includes a rear-facing projector, automated screen and lighting and audio improvements.
The district said it will start an AI task force this school year to “outline important policy considerations” for classroom uses of AI; Binder said Director Al Ghazi (named in the presentation) will lead the task force. The presentation included training and classroom-management requirements for teachers, and a reminder that the district’s web filter (described in the presentation as Securly) can be used to limit student tab access and to require teacher-managed sessions for online lessons.
Committee members asked about device choice, long-term vendor commitments and instructional impacts of always‑connected devices. Binder said the district has used Google Workspace for Education for about 12 years and is consolidating tools around that platform because teachers and business operations are familiar with it; he also said district controls can be used to restrict AI access and to limit browsing during lessons when teachers run a managed session.
No formal committee action was taken on Measure A items reported at the meeting. Committee members were invited to follow up with staff and to watch for the district’s updated three‑year educational-technology plan, which the presentation said is being revised to guide Measure A spending for the next three years.