Pembroke technology department urges managed services, cybersecurity and device-refresh plan

Mike Tinker, presenter for the district technology budget, reviewed current infrastructure, cybersecurity risks and FY26 priorities at the Feb. 25 Pembroke School Committee meeting.

Tinker described an era of rapid technological change, saying “we're in a time of exponential growth in technology.” He cited a 2024 Department of Homeland Security assessment that named K–12 systems as frequent ransomware targets and said that defending the district’s networks and student data requires continuous work and modern practices.

Tinker presented the technology department’s scope: roughly 3,600 end users; phone systems, security cameras and access fobs; 250 audio-visual endpoints; hundreds to thousands of student and staff devices; and more than 100 education software products supporting assessments and instruction. He said the district recently replaced 1,000 Chromebooks using ECF funds and has received infrastructure discounts through the federal E-rate program (noting the program’s federal funding status and some future uncertainty).

On staffing and organization, Tinker described a small technical team and school-based leads, listing roles by name: Aaron Tinker (data/software manager), James Ulysses (network manager), Ken Kreutz (master media technician) and Naomi (digital learning specialist). He credited the district’s student-run “Titan Tech” help desk with repairing about 200 Chromebooks this school year and saving money by handling routine repairs locally.

Key FY26 priorities and requests included: - Strengthening cybersecurity posture and adding managed services for 24/7 monitoring and incident response. Tinker described managed services as providing continuous monitoring, scalable support and phishing protection and estimated a district-level managed-services cost of about $50,000 for the size of Pembroke’s network. - Device replacement cycles targeted at grades 2, 6 and 9 to address aging hardware and smoother transitions when students move between platforms. - Network upgrades and access-point replacements (E-rate eligible), backup and disaster-recovery solutions, firewall redundancies and uninterruptible power supplies to reduce outage risk.

Tinker explained that managed services are already in use by other municipal departments and that outsourcing some monitoring provides vendor consistency and predictable cost while preserving local control and the district’s in-house staff to enact changes. He called managed services “a fraction of the cost of getting a network administrator in” full time and argued it would reduce vulnerability to ransomware and similar threats.

Committee members asked whether managed service contracts include phishing protections; Tinker confirmed they do and described coordination between an outsourced monitoring provider and in-district staff in incident response. Members also discussed possible cost savings if the town’s public-safety departments and the schools used the same provider.

Tinker closed by listing mid-range replacement needs (firewall and controller refreshes toward 2027–2030) and said the department will continue to evaluate E-rate funding and other grant opportunities.

Ending: The committee transitioned to subcommittee updates after further questions and praise for the technology staff.