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Winchester schools outline IT projects: asset tracking, device refreshes, phone migration and a $171,000 E‑Rate cybersecurity pilot
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Summary
Mr. Brock briefed the Winchester School Board on completed and planned technology projects, including device refreshes, infrastructure upgrades and a three‑year federal E‑Rate cybersecurity pilot award of about $171,000.
Mr. Brock, the district technology presenter, briefed the board on technology work completed this school year and projects planned for the summer and coming year.
Why it matters: The updates affect daily operations, classroom devices and the district’s cybersecurity posture. Staff described projects intended to reduce unplanned failures through lifecycle reporting, improve parent and student communications and modernize core infrastructure.
Major updates and timelines described: - Asset and inventory management: staff have imported thousands of assets into a new system tied to Google and PowerSchool to track purchase dates and useful life for budgeting. - Device work: an early‑year faculty Chromebook refresh covered more than 500 devices; a seventh‑grade refresh included about 350 devices; the district aims to complete Windows 11 and Office 2024 upgrades for roughly 1,600 devices before the school year begins. - Network and infrastructure: replacement of core firewall hardware, switches and about 110 access points at Annie Morgan; ongoing wide area network cutovers and a permanent network connection built for the Valley Health clinic at Hanley. - Communications and systems: the district plans to migrate its phone system to a cloud‑based Cisco WebEx platform (backed by Amazon cloud) with a target cutover before the next school year so users see little end‑user change; BrightArrow notification system adoption was described as expanding into automated report‑card and attendance messages. - Federal cybersecurity pilot: the district was awarded approximately $171,000 through a federal E‑Rate pilot program covering three years to add advanced cybersecurity hardware and vulnerability training; staff said RFPs and purchases will follow in the next months.
Board Q&A addressed timeline questions and the scope of summer completion. Mr. Brock said most projects are summer deliverables and that cyber purchases could extend later in the calendar year with a goal to make purchases before the end of the year. He also described a website redesign underway and a summer rollout of cafeteria‑related services.
No formal board action on procurement was recorded in the transcript; staff noted procurement steps and RFPs would follow for federal pilot purchases.
