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Bennington schools report multi‑factor authentication, device deployments and broadband renewals
Summary
District technology staff outlined cybersecurity steps, device rollouts and upcoming E‑rate‑eligible network renewals: MFA rollout across schools, deployment of 65,000 iPads last year, 450 Chromebooks planned this year, transition to MacBooks for staff, and a WAN renewal with lower monthly cost in August.
District technology staff briefed the board on several ongoing IT projects, including cybersecurity, device rollouts and infrastructure renewals.
Ralph Upman, the district technology lead, said the district is finishing a global multi‑factor authentication rollout and expected to complete onboarding across the final schools in April. Staff noted the MFA work is part of a broader cyber security effort.
Technology staff recapped a prior deployment of roughly 65,000 iPads to classrooms and said they converted the Bennington Middle School lab to Mac devices. The district said it will distribute 450 new Chromebooks this year to support sixth‑ and ninth‑grade device refreshes and will provide about 100 MacBooks for staff replacement or new hires. The technology office also reported plans for transitioning most teacher devices to MacBooks over the summer and supporting teachers with training sessions in July.
Upman described two E‑rate proposals under review: a controller‑to‑cloud migration for wireless controllers that promises long‑term licensing parity plus improved features, and a wide area network (fiber) renewal for connections between district buildings. He said the current WAN vendor submitted a renewal bid that reduced the district’s monthly payment by about $200 and remains eligible for roughly 40% E‑rate reimbursement.
The district emphasized device collection activities for seniors and eighth‑grade promotions and noted ongoing work on app‑approval procedures and digital citizenship. Technology staff said they have created a review committee for classroom apps to ensure student privacy and security before deployment.
