Council approves $5 million device lease and a five‑year firewall purchase for Springfield schools

The Springfield City Council on Nov. 17 approved two school‑related procurement orders: a multi‑year lease‑purchase for staff and student laptops and a five‑year purchase of firewall hardware and support.

Bob Saint Lawrence, chief information officer for Springfield Public Schools, told the council the district follows a four‑year device replacement policy to ensure staff and students have current laptops. He said the district's budget projection for the device program is about $5,000,000 and that the purchase is executed through a vendor on state contract (identified in the meeting as Wally Computer Associates) using Hewlett‑Packard hardware.

"This ensures the implementation of staff and student computer replacement… part of a four‑year device purchase," Saint Lawrence said, asking the council for authorization to enter a three‑year contract term to align procurement schedules.

On cybersecurity, Saint Lawrence said the district is pursuing a five‑year firewall appliance purchase that will bundle software and support, estimating $438,000–$450,000 for the five‑year package. He referenced a 2020 ransomware incident that caused about one day of downtime and said the firewall and ongoing grant applications are part of bolstering the district's cyber posture.

Councilors asked about procurement details, resale or recycling of retired devices and how much the district saves through bulk purchasing and state contracts. Saint Lawrence said the district extends devices beyond four years when feasible, runs a recycling program for retired units and leverages state contract pricing to achieve savings; he offered to provide more precise cost‑savings figures on request.

Both authorizations were approved by the council.