District reports data-platform migration issues, Chromebook shortages and cybersecurity investments
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Summary
Technology staff told the board that the district's migration from EIS to a new state-approved student information platform has caused reporting and cohort issues; the district has 6,914 Chromebooks in circulation but expects to lose about 600 next year and more than 2,000 devices at end-of-life thereafter.
Technology staff (Josh Taxton and Darla Dunn) updated the Moore County School Board on several operational technology issues, including a statewide migration from the EIS platform to a new state-supported product that has disrupted reporting, testing-data flows and cohort integrity.
"EIS is going away," the presenters said, describing bugs and vendor integration problems that have delayed the district's access to familiar reports and introduced waits while the state extracts files for local review. Staff described working with Skyward and the vendor ecosystem to bridge gaps and said they hope to remain on Skyward for one more year while evaluating alternatives.
Taxton and Dunn also reported inventory and replacement concerns for student Chromebooks: the district has 6,914 Chromebooks in production, expects to lose roughly 600 units next year as devices age, and anticipates more than 2,000 devices reaching end-of-life thereafter. The presenters estimated a replacement cost of about $468 per device (device, license, case). On cybersecurity, the district has adopted Trend Micro protections and said it received a $70,000 grant that supports email and collaboration security and phishing defenses.
Presenters described safety-related monitoring that flags certain content (including self-harm indicators) and a notification chain that informs building principals and, when necessary, district staff or law enforcement to conduct welfare checks. The presenters said they are pursuing vendor-hosting options because the state will stop hosting district data in the near future and districts will face new hosting costs.
What's next: staff said they will continue monthly data audits, pursue vendor evaluations for hosting and platform choices, and request board approval for any major vendor or hosting contracts as needed.