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Board hears proposal to move district cameras to Verkada cloud system; privacy and access questions raised

Durango School District No. 9‑R Board of Education · November 7, 2025
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Summary

Administrators presented a competitive RFP to replace on‑site servers with a cloud‑based Verkada camera system before a 15% price increase scheduled for Nov. 20; the proposal would enable browser access and advanced search but prompted questions about access controls, redacted public materials, and how long cloud footage is retained.

Durango School District No. 9‑R staff presented a proposal on Nov. 11 to replace the district’s on‑site camera servers with a cloud‑based Verkada system, citing a competitive RFP and an impending vendor price increase slated for Nov. 20.

District presenters explained the existing system stores footage locally on site and relies on an older Milestone client that staff find cumbersome. The proposed Verkada solution stores 30–60 days locally on each camera’s solid‑state drive and uploads footage to the cloud for longer retention and easier browser access. Presenters described advanced search and video‑analytics features that can, for example, find appearances of a person wearing a particular color shirt; they acknowledged the system’s more robust capabilities.

Board members asked how access would be managed if an authorized user (such as an SRO or police officer) leaves their role or affiliation. The district said local IT would administer daily account changes and that vendor support would be available for technical changes. Administrators also said the cloud solution reduces long‑term vendor costs by shifting day‑to‑day administration in‑house.

Because the procurement was timed to avoid a near‑term vendor price increase, staff said they can provide a redacted public‑facing version of procurement materials if the board wants it; they noted security specifics may need redaction for operational security. No contract award was authorized at the meeting; board members requested more detail about access controls and a public summary of cost impacts if the district moves forward.

The Verkada vendor name and the imminent 15% price increase were cited as reasons for a compressed timeline; staff requested direction on whether to proceed with public redacted materials and further vetting.