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Venus ISD reviews multi‑phase security camera upgrade; high‑school replacement funded by cycle‑2 safety grant
Summary
VISD technology staff and vendor Airwave demonstrated an Avigilon-backed security system plan that would replace high‑school cameras and integrate access control. Trustees discussed a $150,000 high‑school phase funded by a 24/25 cycle‑2 safety grant and a districtwide estimate of $5.5–$6 million contingent on grants.
Venus ISD technology and security staff presented a multi‑phase plan to modernize the district’s camera and access-control systems, prioritizing the high school for immediate replacement and integration onto an Avigilon-based security platform.
Unidentified presenter Hudson (speaker 20) told trustees the current camera system is roughly seven to nine years old and lacks evidence-grade image quality and modern integrations. Chief Wood (referenced by Hudson) proposes three phases: Phase 1 — replace two door badge-entry points with biometric (fingerprint) sensors to facilitate first-responder access (estimated cost ~$8,800, to be paid from grant funds); Phase 2 — full replacement and migration of the high‑school cameras (reduce 88 cameras to 40 higher-resolution cameras and add licensing to bring 168 existing cameras districtwide onto the new system, projected around $150,000); Phase 3 — migrate access control to the new system (estimated north of $18,000), with a realistic districtwide replacement estimate in the range of $5.5 million to $6 million depending on scope and funding.
Vendor Airwave Technologies (Fernando Granadino) demonstrated Avigilon capabilities including fisheye and high‑megapixel cameras that can be configured to follow a person across multiple cameras, create bookmarks and timelines, and run analytics such as vape and weapons detection. He described watch lists, radio integrations for instant alerts, and on‑board AI analytics that limit false alerts (for example, ignoring environmental motion). He emphasized perpetual license options rather than recurring cloud leases (citing differences with vendors like Verkada).
Trustees and parents asked about equity and coverage: a parent questioned concentrating $150,000 at the high school while other campuses remain on older cameras, and asked whether the grant could be divided for incremental improvements at all campuses. Hudson and Airwave staff said the high‑school hardware purchase would be expected to last a decade and that existing cameras could be integrated into the Avigilon system, but acknowledged older cameras’ lower megapixel counts would limit some analytics.
Funding and timing: speaker 20 said $150,000 would be covered by the 24/25 cycle‑2 safety grant (with additional technology budget contributions) and that the grant date is 11/29/2025 (speaker 2 later clarified the grant date). The district will phase work to match funding availability; the full districtwide plan depends on future grant awards and capital appropriations.
Ending: Trustees received the informational update and asked staff to consider alternatives for distributing grant funds across campuses. No action was taken on the purchase during this meeting; Hudson said the item was informational and would be phased based on funding and priorities.
