Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
District tech team reports major network refresh; board approves NetLab purchase for Franklin Tech
Loading...
Summary
Joplin Schools’ technology team told the board it rebuilt core networking over the summer (re-IP, VLANs, new switches and ~560 access points), supports roughly 8,600 devices and closed 8,719 tickets; the board approved a NetLab purchase for Franklin Tech (grant-supported) with an expected annual license of about $3,000.
The district’s technology team reported a large summer effort to rebuild the core network, add capacity and improve security, and the board approved a related instructional system purchase for Franklin Tech.
Tech director Eric Pitcher and staff described a summer rebuild that included re‑IPing the network, deploying new switches and routers and installing approximately 560 access points to improve performance, scalability and security. The team said the department supports just over 8,600 laptops and other instructional devices across the district and completed a refresh of about 50 multi-function printers and 180 staff replacement devices funded through a grant. Tech staff reported closing 8,719 support tickets in a recent 12‑month period.
Pitcher summarized the work as "the department overview," and tech staff added that the rebuild allowed vendors’ projects that usually take a year to be completed more quickly. Staff emphasized security tools (web filtering, student monitoring outside of school, and Mimecast for email protection and phishing education).
Separately, the board approved a NetLab purchase for Franklin Tech to support hands-on networking curriculum. Administrators said the purchase is part of a state enhancement grant with roughly a 75% state match and a 5% local bank match; the project was budgeted near $75,000 and reported to come in about $5,000 under budget. NetLab supports up to 32 concurrent students and, according to presenters, will allow safe, hands-on exercises without risk to district infrastructure. The presenters said there will be an annual subscription fee of about $3,000 after the initial purchase.
Why it matters: The network rebuild and the NetLab system are presented as investments in classroom instruction, device reliability and cybersecurity; NetLab will expand hands-on training that supports local career pathways in networking and IT.
