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District to pursue cyber security assessment and begin migration from SMS/Skyward; superintendent outlines timeline
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Roland told the board the district will seek approval for a cybersecurity assessment and must migrate from the district’s legacy SMS/Skyward system to a newer cumulative platform; he said migration and data transition could take 15–24 months and include added backup costs while both systems run in parallel.
Superintendent Dr. Roland briefed the board on pending finance and technology items that will be on the next voting agenda, including a cybersecurity assessment and a planned migration away from the district’s current SMS/Skyward student management system to a newer cumulative platform.
Dr. Roland described the cybersecurity item as "very similar to the risk and vulnerability assessment that we have for physical security," saying it would provide a third‑party review and recommendations to improve protections. Board members asked about the scope of monitoring and whether the initial work would include ongoing scans; administration said it would provide answers and a recommended schedule once vendor details are clarified.
On the student information system, the superintendent said the vendor has announced a sunset for SMS and that the district must migrate. He said the typical migration timeframe is "anywhere between 15 months and 24 months" and that a transition period will require maintaining backups and live access to both systems, which will add to costs during the cutover.
Board members asked about relative costs and whether the transition would help with grant applications; Dr. Roland said the assessment could improve the district’s position for grants and that administration would provide further cost detail at the voting meeting.
Next steps: the administration will provide vendor details, anticipated costs and a proposed timeline for approval at the district’s next voting meeting.
