Lancaster ISD board approves five-year VOIP lease with Cisco vendor; one trustee votes no

The Lancaster Independent School District Board of Trustees approved a five‑year lease to replace the district’s aging Cisco phone system, selecting a Netsync/Cisco solution that district technology staff said will lower annual support costs and add security features.

Technology staff and vendor representatives said Lancaster ISD’s existing on‑premises Cisco Unified Communications system had reached end‑of‑life and no longer received security patches or technical-support updates. The proposed five‑year lease would cost $139,533.82 per year and total $697,669.10 over five years, the presenters said. District staff said the new system includes modern phones with an integrated panic button and that the board’s IT team plans to segregate voice traffic on a separate 10‑gig link to limit network impact.

Trustee Whitfield expressed concern about the total cost for a district of Lancaster’s size and asked what the district currently pays; technology staff said existing annual costs were about $208,000 and that the lease would reduce the district’s annual outlay. Vice President Smith asked whether the phones would integrate with the district’s Raptor safety/alerting system; staff replied the vendor will work to integrate with existing district systems during optimization.

The board voted on the proposal; six trustees voted in favor and one trustee voted no. The board president announced the motion carried.

Why this matters: The contract replaces an unsupported communications system and includes security features intended to improve emergency response. Trustee Whitfield’s public objections highlight cost scrutiny even when staff present net savings relative to prior support arrangements.