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District technology director outlines hardware, software and security upgrades in 2025–26 budget
Summary
Vanitha Joy, the district’s executive director of technology and innovation, presented the technology department’s proposed 2025–26 budget on March 5 and reviewed projects completed this year, system upgrades planned for next year, and the district’s five‑year replacement cycle for student devices.
Vanitha Joy, the district’s executive director of technology and innovation, presented the technology department’s proposed 2025–26 budget on March 5 and reviewed projects completed this year, system upgrades planned for next year, and the district’s five‑year replacement cycle for student devices.
Joy said the technology team’s responsibilities extend beyond devices, covering data, telephony (VoIP/UC), security notifications, integrations between Infinite Campus and ParentSquare for bus‑route and attendance messaging, and district‑wide rostering (ClassLink/Google Classroom/GoGuardian). She reviewed recent work that the team said improved stability: migration to Windows 11, redundant fiber to avoid a single‑point outage, centralized/cloud printing and a newly launched ServiceNow help desk.
Planned upgrades and initiatives Joy described include: - an InformaCast Fusion upgrade to expand lockdown/alert notification reach and integrate smart panels; - a VoIP/UC system management move to a managed service (Lyric) for proactive monitoring; - evaluation of an alternative web‑filtering solution to replace or supplement Fortinet; - a penetration test (ethical hacking) planned for next year after network changes stabilize; - expanded classroom and campus displays, a possible hall‑pass system for the middle school, and multi‑factor authentication for staff (targeted rollout by October 2025); - continuation of the district’s device replacement cycle (fifth‑ and ninth‑grade Chromebook cohorts) and use of BOCES installment purchasing for hardware refreshes.
Joy said some line‑item shifts are administrative: several contractual obligations were migrated to BOCES purchasing and assistance to capture aid; copier and leasing contracts were renegotiated; an allowance remains for emergency hardware replacement. She said the district did not perform penetration testing this year because the network was in flux and that testing is planned for 2025–26. Joy answered technical questions but the presentation was informational; no formal budget vote took place during the meeting.
Why it matters: the technology budget funds infrastructure that affects daily operations, emergency notifications, classroom instruction and digital equity across the district. Several projects noted by Joy are prerequisites for security and continuity (redundant networks, InformaCast, managed VoIP).
Next steps: Joy and the administration will continue to refine line‑item numbers ahead of the district’s line‑by‑line budget day and final adoption schedule; some purchases (installment purchases through BOCES) and contract transitions will affect later aid payments and reporting.
