District tech director details E‑Rate purchases, Chromebook repairs and growing security workload

Jared Blosser, the district’s director of educational technology, told the Port Angeles School District Board of Directors on June 12 that recent federally subsidized purchases and continuing security work are reshaping the department’s priorities.

Blosser said the district bought a new firewall last year “about a $46,000 purchase,” and that the E‑Rate administrator paid roughly $12,000 toward it. He said the district also secured switches and wireless gear for the new middle school — “about a $125,000 worth of equipment, and the USAC paid for $96,000 of that.”

The purchases follow a broader technology refresh, Blosser said: “Last September or last summer, we put in 700 new Chromebooks and 18 new view boards.” He added that the department plans a Windows 11 upgrade over the summer because “Windows 10 is gonna end the life in October.”

Why it matters: the E‑Rate reimbursements reduce local capital costs for infrastructure, but Blosser said the program’s rules also restrict how that money is used. He called security “the most important security device we have” when describing the new firewall, and said protecting accounts, devices and backups is taking an increasing share of the department’s time.

School board members asked whether limiting take‑home devices could reduce risk. A board member asked, “Is that anything we’ve ever looked into?” Blosser replied that Chromebooks give some protection because “the operating system is different. It’s easier to reload. It wipes everything out. Everything’s saved in the cloud.” He said elementary classrooms typically keep devices on carts, middle schools sometimes send devices home, and high school students still check them out.

Blosser also provided a repair and asset snapshot. He estimated the district maintains roughly 4,000 Chromebooks and that “out of 4,000 Chromebooks, we’re repairing physical damage of 4 to 500 a year,” with broken screens and missing keys the most common issues. He said reusing compatible parts from older devices saves about $70 per repair.

Blosser flagged other operational pressures: a growing number of public records requests that now target email and could include video; an expanding security‑camera system that requires more server or cloud capacity; and limits on multi‑factor authentication because the district lacks a standard second‑factor device for staff.

“We have incredible backups,” Blosser said of the district’s recovery posture, noting redundant off‑site copies and detached devices that would allow relatively quick restoration of data. But he cautioned those backups “don’t protect us from operations,” and that account security and device management remain concerns.

Blosser said the district has started staff trainings and limited pilots for artificial intelligence tools but is “hesitant because I’m worried about doing it in a safe manner so the kids are not exposed to something we don’t anticipate.” He noted age and consent restrictions in many commercial AI services.

What’s next: Blosser requested board awareness of the staffing limits in technology and said some roles (desktop and systems support) are likely to need replacement within a year. He suggested the board consider capacity increases or different procurement for camera and records systems if demands continue to grow.

Ending: The presentation closed with board members thanking Blosser and noting the department’s workload. No formal budget or staffing decision was made at the meeting.