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District recommends AT&T FirstNet to fix building coverage gaps
Summary
Administration recommended moving district mobile lines to AT&T FirstNet after site surveys showed improved coverage at Jarrett Town, Sandy Run and Maple Glen; the 36‑month proposal includes device refresh and modest per‑line cost increases with promotional device pricing.
Colleen (district staff) recommended transitioning the district’s mobile fleet to AT&T FirstNet after a site survey showed consistent coverage improvements in buildings that have experienced gaps (Jarrett Town, Sandy Run Middle, Maple Glen and small areas of the high school).
Colleen said FirstNet is a government‑funded dedicated network for emergency responders and that, as a safety support annex, the district’s devices would be eligible to operate on that network. The recommended agreement is for a 36‑month term with device refresh at term end; estimated per‑line cost increases over the contract term were small (administrative lines roughly $8.23 and non‑administrative lines roughly $2.23 over 36 months), and promotional device pricing (examples discussed: 99¢ per phone) and device‑rebate credits were noted.
Committee members asked about the total number of lines (Colleen said the plan could include about 81 lines if all administrators participate), what happens if administrators opt out (the district will not reimburse personal phone costs), and whether FirstNet deployment allows centralized device management and remote wipe for security (administration confirmed central device management will be implemented).
The committee agreed to move the FirstNet recommendation forward to the legislative agenda for formal approval.
