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Sharyland ISD presents $79,000 access-control system, digital hall pass pilot and video-storage upgrade in budget workshop
Summary
David Culberson, the district’s technology presenter, told the board the district is proposing a five‑year Synergis access‑control subscription (~$79,000), a SmartPass digital hall‑pass pilot for secondary schools (annual fee), expansion of video storage toward 1 petabyte (estimate up to $50,000) and replacement of 15 time clocks needed for the Skyward upgrade.
David Culberson, technology presenter for Sharyland ISD, told the Board of Trustees at a budget workshop that the district is proposing several districtwide technology and security upgrades, including a cloud‑connected Synergis access‑control management system, a SmartPass digital hall‑pass pilot for secondary campuses, expanded video storage and replacement of time clocks needed for the district’s Skyward upgrade.
Culberson described Synergis as an access‑control solution that would sit under the district’s Genetec security center and provide centralized credential management, real‑time door monitoring, latch (door‑left‑open) alerts and scheduling tied to bell routines. “One of the the major factors for the software for us” is the single‑ or group‑door lock scheduling, Culberson said, noting the district’s current system can leave doors unlocked on holidays and requires manual technician time to change schedules.
Culberson said the Synergis implementation is roughly $79,000 for five years and includes cloud connectivity and some small hardware connectors. He said the district will keep door functionality if the internet goes down but emphasized the importance of power and a secondary internet connection; the district expects an E‑rate funded secondary internet link to start July 1.
Also presented was SmartPass, an electronic hall‑pass system being piloted at one campus and proposed for the district’s junior high and high schools. Culberson said SmartPass replaces paper or verbal passes with time‑limited digital passes and provides real‑time lists teachers or administrators can view on a phone or tablet. He said the product integrates with student information systems and Raptor and that the district is limiting passes in pilot settings (for example, allowing up to four passes per student per day and a maximum number of concurrent passes). A board member expressed privacy concerns; Culberson and another staff member clarified SmartPass does not provide GPS tracking and is not a geofencing system.
The district also proposed increasing on‑site video storage from about 500 terabytes to 1 petabyte by adding drives to the existing Cisco SAN to support higher retention and more cameras. Culberson estimated the cost at up to $50,000 but said he expects to pay less.
Finally, the presentation said 15 existing time clocks will need replacement to work with the district’s planned Skyward “cumulative” upgrade; staff estimated about $4,300 per clock as a not‑final price and said some clocks already were replaced to cover failed devices.
Board members and administrators asked questions about redundancy, hardware compatibility and recurring fees. Culberson said Synergis would be integration‑ready with the district’s current card readers and that the majority of the Synergis expense is software rather than hardware. He also said SmartPass licensing shown in the materials covered secondary schools only at this time, not elementary campuses.
The workshop discussion framed these items as budget proposals and planning, with no motions or final approvals recorded at the meeting.
