Sweet Home board approves network refresh and fiber contracts, citing aging equipment and E‑Rate support

The Sweet Home School District board voted to approve a full network hardware refresh and a separate fiber Internet contract for elementary schools, measures district staff said are needed to resolve aging equipment and bandwidth bottlenecks.

District technology staff told the board the current network equipment ranged from about seven to 13 years old and was causing security and bandwidth problems. “Our network equipment’s aging quite a bit, 7 to 13 years old,” one staff presenter said while outlining next‑generation firewalls and Wi‑Fi 7 as part of the recommended package.

The board approved the hardware refresh after a public contracting process; a motion to award the contract passed on voice vote. Staff said the RFP evaluation produced a recommended vendor and emphasized the project is designed to reduce recurring subscription costs and improve intrusion detection and security.

Separately, the board approved a fiber construction and Internet‑service contract to connect Foster, Hawthorne, Holly and Oak Heights elementary schools. Staff told the board that E‑Rate funding and state matching programs could cover the majority of the cost, potentially reducing the district’s local share to near zero. The motion to approve the fiber contract also passed on voice vote.

District staff estimated the network refresh would be a multi‑month project, with work scheduled around school hours and school breaks; the team said they would file required E‑Rate forms and expect approvals by mid‑summer before full equipment procurement.

The upgrades were framed as both security and instructional priorities: staff said modernized firewalls and faster Wi‑Fi will reduce bottlenecks in classrooms and set district infrastructure up for the next five to 10 years.