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Technology director says audits nearly complete, flags E‑Rate timing and device‑use law changes
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Summary
District technology staff told the board that four recent audits produced nine recommendations (eight completed), reported progress in inventory and network upgrades tied to a federal E‑Rate award, and outlined how a new state 'balanced technology' bill will constrain device take‑home rules.
The district’s technology presenter, identified during the meeting as Jay, told the board the department has worked through four concurrent assessments — IT governance, cybersecurity, state penetration testing and an OLAG review — and has completed eight of nine recommendations from those audits. "We just got the reports in October... and with that, we had 9 recommendations. 8 of those are already complete," he said.
Jay said the district uses a five‑year rotation for laptops and desktops and an eight‑year schedule for projectors and AV equipment to avoid large, single‑summer replacement costs. He described ongoing capital work including a phased migration of the phone system from Mitel Connect to Mitel Business with a migration deadline in 2029.
On filters and student safety, the presenter said state testing showed the district’s filtering system performed well after a few fixes. "For the most part, we are definitely compliant with our policy and with federal requirements for CIPA," he said, while noting some sites (including Grammarly) cannot be approved because vendors refuse the state data‑privacy agreement.
Jay shared that E‑Rate reimbursements drive the network rotation plan and that the district has been awarded federal funding but was still waiting for processing. He reported the district’s E‑Rate award and stated that reimbursements tied to the current five‑year application are pending. He also described inventory improvements led by warehouse staffer Corey Price: several sites now report near‑complete device inventories.
Finally, the presenter summarized a new state 'balanced technology' law and internal committee work to define the district’s technology purpose. The bill limits device use for younger grades and would—if carried out—end take‑home privileges for K–6 devices; the district’s tech leadership and the newly formed committee will propose local implementation details to the board and to the policy committee.
Next steps: technology staff will continue remediation on the remaining audit item, work with the policy committee and bring proposed operational plans (phone migration schedule, inventory milestones and any budget requests tied to E‑Rate timing) back to the board.
