Technology budget trims spending overall but requests $48K for cameras and funds for device replacements
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Summary
The district’s technology budget is slightly down year over year, but tech staff requested $48,000 to fill camera blind spots at all schools, detailed teacher‑device replacements and UPS lifecycle needs, and described growing cybersecurity workload.
The Bedford School District presented a technology budget that, overall, is slightly lower year‑over‑year, but includes discrete requests to address security blind spots and replace aging equipment.
Larry Baker, director of technology, said the FY27 technology budget shows about a 1.3 percent decrease after removing one‑time kindergarten startup funding from the prior year. Baker asked trustees for a $48,000 request to add cameras that would fill internal and external blind spots across all six district schools. He said the district surveyed camera coverage and identified locations where students or events were not visible on existing cameras.
"We have cases where students have climbed on roofs; we weren't able to see them on the cameras," Baker said, summarizing the security rationale for the request. He noted the district will apply for the state SAFE grant (up to $150,000 per school) to offset external camera costs where possible.
Baker also reviewed device replacement needs: a set of teacher laptops and two aging uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) remain on the replacement list and are budgeted as 'red' (beyond updateability). The technology team said they are phasing replacements using a red/yellow/green lifecycle plan and that some printer replacements were absorbed into the Canon contract, producing a one‑time budget reduction in replacement equipment. Licensing costs rose in part because Google changed its pricing model and the district must now purchase staff accounts separately from student accounts.
On cybersecurity, Baker described frequent phishing attempts and active staff engagement in reporting suspicious messages. Board members discussed purchasing a simulated‑phishing training program that would test staff and require training when employees fail the simulations; Baker said the district’s current cybersecurity toolset (largely Google‑based protections) has kept costs steady, but the workload for staff time to clean up incidents has increased.
The board did not vote on the camera request at the session; members discussed grant possibilities and asked staff to include the $48,000 request and other tech details in the next meeting’s budget packet so they can evaluate offsets and grant opportunities.