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Kingsport schools approve switch to United Data Technologies; district cites roughly $28,400 annual local savings
Summary
The board approved switching the district’s internet service to United Data Technologies via an Anderson County cooperative bid; the district’s 10% local share would drop from about $5,845 to $3,480 per month, producing an estimated annual local savings of roughly $28,386, while E‑Rate funds cover roughly 90% of the total cost.
The Kingsport City Schools Board of Education voted on March 10 to switch its internet service from Zayo Education to United Data Technologies (UDT) using an Anderson County cooperative purchasing agreement.
Mr. Fry explained that the district's local 10% share of the service has averaged about $5,845 per month under the current provider and would fall to about $3,480 per month with UDT, representing an estimated annual local savings of approximately $28,386. He said E‑Rate covers about 90% of the total internet service cost for schools, so the figures cited reflect the district's local portion of a larger, E‑Rate‑subsidized contract.
Board members asked why the district did not issue its own solicitation; Mr. Fry said a number of school systems opted in and that Anderson County served as the bidding entity, allowing others to piggyback on the resulting contract. A board member noted that more than 50 systems had opted in prior to the bid.
A motion to accept the recommended action was made and seconded, and the chair announced the motion passes. The meeting transcript does not record a roll‑call or final recorded tally.
Next steps: the board approved switching to UDT under the cooperative agreement; contract execution and service transition will proceed under staff direction.
