Randolph County Schools to pursue E‑rate-funded network upgrades; board approves bids contingent on funding

The Randolph County Board of Education voted March 27 to accept two bids to redesign and replace aging network infrastructure, contingent on federal E‑rate funding.

Kalen, a technology staff member who presented the plan, said the district's fiber network includes segments that are about 25 years old and needs redesign. "The lifespan on a piece of fiber optic cable is 25 years. That's it. That's what you expect to get out of it and you don't get much more," Kalen said. The plan's first phase installs fiber aggregation switches to reduce single points of failure and improve traffic flow across campuses.

Kalen also described a separate purchase to replace wireless access points that are about eight to nine years old and no longer meet current capacity needs. He said the district supports more than 2,000 handheld devices plus classroom hardware and that the replacement will be "drop in replacements" for most classrooms. He noted Randolph County's Career and Technical Education center is not eligible for E‑rate counting because E‑rate counts full‑time students and that center is treated differently under the program.

The board approved a bid from Pinnacle Networks for $50,992.64 for fiber aggregation switches; the district will be responsible for 15 percent of the purchase price if E‑rate funding is awarded. The board also approved a bid from ConvergeOne for $92,437.40 for wireless access points and installation, with the same 15 percent local share contingent on E‑rate approval.

Both approvals were explicitly contingent on the district receiving E‑rate funds; the superintendent said the purchases would not proceed if funding is denied. The board took the votes by voice; no roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript.