St. Francis technology director outlines multifactor authentication, network and server upgrades ahead of school year
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Summary
Technology director Joe Brazil told the board the district is shifting from reactive to proactive IT work, with multifactor authentication rollout targeted for mid‑September, a phishing‑aware training program, a multi‑phase network overhaul, phone-system replacement planning, and a server migration to a hosted K‑12 collaborative.
St. Francis Area Schools technology director Joe Brazil on Aug. 25 presented a multi-part technology update that included a planned roll‑out of multifactor authentication (MFA) for staff, a cyber‑security awareness training program with phishing simulations, a districtwide network overhaul, phone-system replacement planning, and a planned migration of server infrastructure to a hosted K‑12 collaborative.
"We're moving more towards proactive work rather than reactive," Brazil said, summarizing a summer of upgrades and planning designed to reduce downtime and strengthen security. He told the board the district plans to enable MFA for staff accounts starting Sept. 12 with the target to complete staff rollout by Dec. 31.
Brazil described the district's new security training system (Cybernet via Acmeq), which uses short micro‑modules and simulated phishing exercises to train staff without punitive measures for simulated failures. He said the district is also beginning a formal information-security program based on the CIS Critical Controls framework to consolidate initiatives and guide future operational standards.
On infrastructure, Brazil described completed Internet- and wide-area-network upgrades that consolidate multiple circuits into two higher‑capacity paths and said a managed local-area-network and wireless cutover is under way. One building has been migrated to the managed wireless solution; the remainder are scheduled in the weeks after school starts. Brazil said the managed approach gives the district access to outside network engineers and should reduce internal staffing pressure.
The technology department also plans a phone-system replacement with upgraded communications tools (softphones, messaging) and a server-migration to a hosted service (ECMEC) that Brazil said is expected to save roughly $80,100 annually and reduce capital replacement cycles. The district has also begun a printing-and-copying efficiency review, including placement and workflow at the print center.
Board members asked about connectivity metrics and monitoring. Brazil said the district's service-level agreement with the managed network provider includes an uptime guarantee (discussed as four nines of availability) and a portal through which staff will monitor uptime and receive alerts. He said the district will report SLA metrics and that the new configuration includes multiple physical paths to reduce outages caused by single fiber cuts.
On artificial intelligence, Brazil said curriculum and instructional leaders are driving policy. The district has issued initial guidelines for student AI use (to be included in the student handbook) and has chosen Magic School AI for student-facing applications; district staff said ChatGPT is not recommended for student use and would be reserved for teacher use only.
Board members praised the work and said the upgrades should reduce classroom downtime when the term begins. Brazil said he was confident the district would be well positioned when classes start and that full SLA and managed-network benefits would be realized by October once all components are in place.