Board asks for alternatives to $2M camera proposal; custodial study recommends seven full-time hires and autonomous equipment

A proposal to replace campus security cameras and buy a 10-year licensing package drew questioning from Mill Creek school directors at the Feb. 10 Finance & Operations Committee meeting, and the board asked administration to return to the next meeting with alternative 3‑, 5‑ and 10‑year licensing options and further contract terms.

The vendor quote under review would replace cameras across district facilities, add units and include a 10‑year software license and warranty; the hardware-and-license package was presented at about $1.99 million to $2.01 million (the committee narrative included a $571,000 line for a 10‑year license). Board members raised multiple concerns about paying a large, upfront license fee for a technology asset that may require refreshes in a shorter period, and about contract payment terms the administration said would be changed to the district’s standard net-30 purchase-order terms. One board member asked the administration to return with quotes for three- and five-year licensing options in addition to the quoted 10-year term; the committee voted to amend the item and asked staff to bring those options to the next meeting.

Finance and operations staff explained some networking equipment (switches and PoE infrastructure) can be reused as part of an E-rate replacement cycle and said some grant funding would offset part of the total; staff also confirmed the vendor’s quote included software updates over the license term. The committee discussed warranty and replacement provisions and whether hardware purchased would be usable under an alternate monitoring platform should the district choose to change the software vendor in the future. Administration agreed to provide details about covered updates, warranty support, and the cost differential for shorter license terms.

Separately, the committee reviewed and approved a $19,800 topographic survey authorization for CHA (preliminary work related to stadium improvements), a three-year Presque Isle Water Testing contract for pool testing (noted as lower cost than the district’s current lab vendor), an E-rate purchase of switches and networking equipment ($283,308; partially reimbursable) and routine accounts-payable and payroll reports. The annual comprehensive financial report and single-audit were accepted and will go to the board; the committee also approved two IDEA-related subgrant contracts.

The committee received a detailed custodial staffing analysis recommending a move from roughly 50 to 57 custodial positions (net increase of seven), introducing floater staff to cover absences, acquiring selected autonomous floor scrubbers/sweepers (mainly targeted at the high-school footprint), and nine small snow-plow units for building sidewalks. Staff said some equipment could be covered from fund balance and that recurring personnel costs would be incorporated into the upcoming budget process. The report noted average custodial absences and current weekend overtime as drivers of staffing and equipment needs; administration said they will include requested positions and equipment in the preliminary budget and will return with cost details at the budget presentation.