Garvey trustees review $1.9 million Verkada camera proposal, ask for privacy and backup policies

The Garvey School District Board of Education on Oct. 21 reviewed a proposal to deploy a districtwide security camera system from Verkada with an estimated cost of about $1.9 million and a $400,000 discount the vendor said would expire Oct. 31, 2025. Superintendent Anita Chu introduced the plan and described prior pilot installations at Child Development sites.

The presentation, led by Director of Education Technology and Innovations Ricky Hernandez and representatives from Verkada and NIC Partners, outlined a hybrid-cloud approach that stores footage locally on cameras and also keeps cloud backups. Vendors said the system offers remote access, two-factor authentication, AI search tools for people and vehicles, privacy controls such as facial blurring, immutable audit logs that record who accesses footage, and a 10-year hardware warranty. Vendors described 30-day default cloud retention (customizable) and indefinite storage for saved clips.

Electronics Technician Steve Lopez said the district’s current systems are outdated and rely on piecemeal solutions that require onsite fixes by a single technician. Hernandez and vendors said a unified platform could reduce that operational risk and simplify maintenance.

Board members raised operational and privacy questions. Trustee Andrew Yam asked whether cameras have onboard batteries; Hernandez said the board previously approved UPS battery backups and discussed other backup options (battery packs in network closets, infrastructure upgrades, diesel generators). Verkada told the board “there is no onboard battery on the devices” and that footage remains stored locally during network outages, even if connectivity to the cloud is lost. Trustee John Nunez asked whether the cloud backups are hosted by Verkada or by third-party services; Verkada said cloud storage is hosted through AWS and other providers, with redundancies and local storage designed to prevent loss if a cloud service is unavailable.

Yam also asked whether Verkada had ever experienced a breach; company representatives acknowledged a 2020 incident in which a support-person credential was leaked and a small number of cameras were accessed, said no customer data were compromised, and noted that the company changed protocols afterward. Verkada confirmed the product includes AI-enabled face-search and tracking features but told the board those capabilities can be turned off and would be controlled by district policy.

Trustees pressed on long-term costs and ownership. Vendors estimated renewal costs after 10 years could total “a few hundred thousand dollars” depending on scope; Hernandez said an estimate for average battery costs was $100,000 (board asked staff to verify that figure). Superintendent Chu said county-funded Head Start cameras would become district property after 25 years and that the 10-year warranty covers hardware replacement but not ongoing licensing.

Hernandez proposed forming a Security Camera Committee with stakeholder representation (unions, staff and families) to draft policies on access, notifications, retention and privacy; he said any resulting protocols would be presented to the board for review and approval. Chu described an implementation timeline of roughly three months to a year, and outlined next steps: forming the committee, finalizing site-level plans and pricing, providing itemized per-site cost breakdowns and scheduling a possible special meeting if the board chooses to act before the vendor’s discount deadline.

There was no formal vote on the purchase at the Oct. 21 special meeting. The board reviewed upcoming meeting dates and adjourned at 8:40 p.m.