Fillmore Unified School District trustees approved a contract awarding installation and initial cloud services for a districtwide security camera system to West Coast Cable Incorporated on a 3-0 vote. The board recorded the low bid at $992,270.93; the district contract amount listed on the agenda was $793,816.75.

District leaders said the project expands fixed camera coverage from roughly 104 existing cameras to about 254 cameras across campuses, focuses cameras on access points and shared public spaces, and excludes audio recording and placements where there is an expectation of privacy.

The security camera procurement followed an RFP that drew four responses. District staff said proposals were evaluated on technical fit, vendor references in K-12 settings, training, vendor support and overall value. Staff recommended West Coast Cable because of perceived vendor competence, local support capacity and a plan the district said could be built out over the summer with larger sites completed first.

During the presentation, district staff described the vendor’s implementation timeline and service model. The recommended contract includes a vendor-managed cloud service for camera management and analytics during an initial five‑year service term; staff explained the cloud subscription provides features such as motion detection, perimeter alerts, license-plate reading and zoning-based alerts. Staff also said some advanced features would require specific district policy approval before activation.

Board members pressed staff on the budget, the recurring licensing cost and operational impacts for district IT. Staff said the five‑year cloud subscription was being purchased as a multi‑year package to reduce per‑year licensing costs and that annual cloud licensing would be about $38,000–$40,000 per year if renewed on an annual basis after the initial term. Staff said the vendor offered an option to turn camera management fully local at contract end, but that would remove cloud features and require local infrastructure and staff support.

Trustees asked whether local law‑enforcement partners would have direct access for live monitoring during emergencies. Staff said there is the technical capability to integrate or share views with first responders, but any external access must be defined by district policy and executed through formal agreements; the board directed staff to work with local agencies to define an access scope consistent with law and district policies.

Staff listed other operational details: a 30‑day default retention period for recorded footage tied to the cloud service, a vendor training package for both technical staff and end users (principals and administrative staff), a mix of hardwired and wireless point‑to‑point connections at sites where horizontal cabling is not feasible, and specific site constraints (for example, athletic fields or farm areas that require wireless links). Staff also said the district would maintain posted notices that campuses have video surveillance and would follow student‑privacy rules when footage becomes part of a disciplinary or investigatory process.

The board’s formal acceptance of the bid (agenda item 10) completed the procurement step; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said the vendor estimate included a 57‑day build for some sites if work began in July, with larger sites taking up to 15 days and smaller sites five to seven days.

Trustees asked staff to return with recommended policies and access protocols before enabling advanced analytics and before granting any outside agency direct access to live feeds. That work will include clarifying retention, role‑based access and the district’s requirements for using any footage as evidence in investigations.

The board’s action authorizes contracting with West Coast Cable Incorporated to begin project planning and scheduling. Staff said training and a first‑year period of operational discovery and adjustments should follow installation.