Valley View board approves multi-year technology plan; officials outline device, phone and software upgrades

The Valley View CUSD 365U Board of Education on May 12 approved a technology plan that begins a four‑year device replenishment program and advanced related infrastructure work for the 2025–26 school year.

The approval came after the district's technology staff presented a multi‑year plan that includes device replacement, upgrades to transportation tracking and bus Wi‑Fi, camera and door‑access integrations, and an anticipated replacement of the district's self‑hosted phone system.

"Technology is integrated into safety and security, with our camera system, our swipe card system, our alarm system," said Miss Ringe, a technology department staff member, as she described how planned upgrades support school safety and transportation monitoring. She also noted the district uses background‑checking software for visitors and fingerprinting for staff.

Administrators said the phone system has reached its useful life, suffers from limited vendor support and rising maintenance costs, and that a committee reviewed demonstrations from three vendors to select a preferred replacement. That item was presented as informational with the administration planning a formal recommendation at a future meeting.

The administration separately reported an annual consolidated instructional and operational software renewal review. The packet lists 29 software titles proposed for renewal that exceed the district's $25,000 threshold; the administration said 18 primarily support instruction and the remainder support administrative operations. The report presented a total estimated cost for the renewals as stated in the packet: "2,000,000, $996,200" (as written in the administration's materials). The administration described the software renewals as an informational item and planned to return with a formal recommendation at the next regular meeting.

Board members asked for and received a brief explanation of how technology improvements tie to student safety and transportation monitoring. President Pro Tem Campbell asked for specifics; Miss Ringe answered that video on buses, routing systems and speed monitoring are part of the district's safety tools that will be included in the technology plan.

Treasurer Mister Renish later provided a quick cost summary in response to a board question: "The overall cost went up 21,000 over 5 years, which is about $4,000 a year," he said, characterizing the increase as a small fraction of the district budget. The administration did not present a line‑item vote on the full multi‑year funding in this meeting beyond the board's approval of the 2025–26 technology initiative as presented.

The board approved the technology plan initiative for 2025–26 by roll call vote.