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Board previews classroom technology upgrades and recommends bus purchases including first air‑conditioned bus
Summary
District technology staff previewed proposals for classroom flat-panel displays, new teacher desks with built-in computers, Lightspeed teacher microphones with paging/emergency features, and surveillance systems for new schools; staff also recommended purchasing five replacement buses (one with air conditioning) for $729,924 from the 2019 bond contingency and discussed electric-bus considerations.
Dr. Ryan Miller previewed three forthcoming technology recommendations for the new Central and Haverhill schools: classroom flat-panel displays and teacher workstations with integrated computers, a new compact teacher-desk design, and Lightspeed teacher microphones that amplify instruction and include paging and emergency features. He said guaranteed pricing is available through REMC and state contracts, while installation labor will be procured separately.
Steve Van Dyke noted the microphone system’s paging and emergency features are important. The vendor had previously piloted emergency alerting in another district, Miller said.
On transportation, staff recommended purchasing five buses (three 77‑passenger, one lift bus and one 77‑passenger bus with air conditioning) at a total of $729,924 charged to the 2019 bond fund contingency. Staff explained the single air‑conditioned bus is intended for summer transportation and credit-recovery operations; trustees asked about electric-bus options and were told districts are still weighing battery replacement costs, winter reliability and higher upfront costs for EV buses.
No final procurement vote appeared in the transcript for technology or buses during this meeting; staff said they expect at least some items to be ready for board consideration in December.
