Board waives policy and extends controls vendor contract for FY26 at roughly $61,638

The Timberlane Regional School District School Board voted June 19 to waive policy DJE and approve a one-year extension of its contract with Control Technologies, Inc. (CTI) for fiscal year 2026 at a cost the administration presented as $61,638.

Administrators recommended the extension because CTI installed the district's building-automation controls on recent projects and the systems require ongoing software maintenance, remote adjustments and occasional on-site technical work. Staff said continuity with the vendor that installed and currently supports the control systems reduces the risk of misconfigurations and ensures timely software updates and troubleshooting as the district calibrates new systems.

Board members pressed staff for details on costs versus multiyear contract options, whether software updates are proprietary, and whether the district could train in-house personnel to take over some functions. Administrators said some tasks are remote and some require vendor-specific code changes; they offered to bring more detailed reporting of CTI services and suggested seeking competitive bids next year while cautioned that vendor knowledge has value.

Motions and outcome: The board first voted to waive policy (motion by Jack, second by Mary Anne). The board then approved the contract extension for FY26 for $61,638 (motion by Justin Sapien; second by Bree). The vote carried with one abstention noted during the meeting.

The administration said the extension includes software maintenance, remote support and technician travel; the fiscal increase versus the prior year reflected the SAU addition and travel cost changes. The board requested that administration provide clearer reporting on the services CTI performs during the year and to consider seeking competitive proposals in the next cycle.