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District staff propose cuts and in-house installations to keep technology position; trustees urged to pursue district-run online school
Summary
Technology staff proposed $20,000 in recurring platform cuts and saving $50,000–$70,000 by installing security systems in-house to preserve a technology position. District leaders also proposed creating a Rock Ridge online school to recapture students enrolled elsewhere.
Technology department leaders told the board they identified recurring savings of about $20,000 by consolidating or eliminating overlapping platforms and proposed that district technicians install access-control and security systems for a planned special-education facility rather than contracting the work. The in-house plan was projected to save roughly $50,000–$70,000, which the technology presenters said could be reallocated to keep a key technology position in the department.
“Mister Bryson” (technology staff) said the district “found a way that we cut about $20,000 out of existing programs” and estimated the in-house installation would save tens of thousands of dollars versus contracting out. He described ongoing troubleshooting of classroom hardware and power supplies and argued retaining the position was important to support new initiatives, including an online learning platform.
Board leaders, led by a trustee who asked Scott to present, recommended the district take a more aggressive approach to online learning. Scott said 97 students who live in the district currently attend other online schools and argued the district could both retain students and generate revenue by offering district-run online courses—allowing students to take online classes while coming in for choir, orchestra or CTE classes as needed. “I believe we can do it better as a district because we know our students, we know our families,” Scott said.
Trustees discussed teacher-negotiation implications and special-education considerations for online programming; administration noted this work would likely involve bargaining and bring staffing and program details back for future action. No formal vote was taken on launching a district-run online program at this meeting.
