North Clackamas SD 12 board approves Vocera wireless communication system contract

The North Clackamas School District Board of Directors voted 6-0 on May 27 to approve a contract, not to exceed $1,840,000, with Vocera Communications to provide a districtwide wearable wireless communication system for staff.

District leaders said the Vocera system would provide a one-to-one device for employees, improve indoor coverage through the district Wi‑Fi and on-premises servers, add GPS location for panic-button alerts and use encryption to prevent outside listeners on radio frequencies. Teresa Nef Webster, the district’s chief of operations, and David Cruz, director of safety, security and risk management, answered board questions before the vote.

Webster and Cruz told the board the district does not currently have enough two‑way radios to provide one device per staff member and that concrete block construction in some buildings degrades radio transmission. "We do not currently have the amount of inventory we need with current walkie talkies to provide a 1 to 1 ratio," Cruz said. He added that the existing radios lack GPS location capability and are not encrypted, which requires staff to avoid discussing sensitive details over the air.

Cruz described Vocera as a Wi‑Fi‑based system that runs on the district’s local network and on-premises servers. "It is within our system. So it's not going out ... on the Internet. It's staying within our network on our servers," he said. He and Webster said the district's server rooms are backed by generators so the Vocera platform could remain operational during a power outage as long as backup systems function; if the Vocera system were unavailable, staff would continue to rely on existing radios.

Board members asked about costs and rollout. Webster said the contract figure covers a three‑year term and that the district increased license counts beyond current users to allow for growth; she said those licenses would remain in perpetuity. The board heard that the district currently spends about $25,000 annually for devices that support outdoor radio communication and that number is expected to decline because fewer radios would be needed inside buildings. The contract price also includes a contingency intended to cover expedited delivery costs; staff warned that delaying a vote could increase delivery charges and that equipment needed to be on site by June 30 to satisfy budget‑year and contract protocols.

Directors also asked about Wi‑Fi coverage and blind spots. Webster said the district’s technology staff and the vendor performed initial analyses at pilot schools and found coverage generally strong, with a few areas to address during implementation. Cruz said the Vocera rollout would include a playbook for identifying and correcting Wi‑Fi blind spots in pilot schools and that the full deployment would include district offices, transportation and nutrition services.

Director Bauer, citing experience with a similar teacher badge used in Estacada, expressed support: "You can't put a price on security," he said. Following discussion, Director McVeigh moved to approve the contract; Director Bauer seconded. In a roll call vote the board recorded ayes from Director Bauer, Director Dobson, Director Kemp, Director McVeigh, Director Beneloga and Director Wei; Director Wachter was excused. The motion passed 6-0.

The board did not adopt additional conditions during the meeting; staff were directed to proceed with implementation steps consistent with the contract and the pilot rollout described to the board.