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District technology director details redundancy, e‑rate funding and security upgrades
Summary
Technology director Bruce Raleigh briefed the board on network redundancy with a 2‑gig fiber connection, e‑rate funding and an upcoming $270,000 Category 2 equipment budget (85/15 split), migration from Meraki to Cisco hardware, and new cybersecurity tools; he also outlined a cloud phone replacement and ongoing staff training.
Bruce Raleigh, the district technology director, presented a comprehensive update on the district’s networking, hardware and cybersecurity plans.
Raleigh said the district now runs a 2‑gig fiber connection provided by Beacon Broadband and has implemented redundant incoming connections and high‑availability switches so failover is automatic. "We were able with a 5 year term with Beacon Broadband to negotiate a really, really good cost," he said, and the redundancy reduces visible outages to users.
He described federal E‑rate support for Internet service (Category 1) and network devices (Category 2): Category 1 support has improved to about a 90/10 split, he said, and the district has budgeted roughly $270,000 over five years for Category 2 equipment with an 85/15 split, meaning the district’s share would be about $40,000 if the full budget is spent. "It's really, really good deal for us," he said.
Raleigh flagged an imminent equipment refresh: Meraki devices will need migration to Cisco‑branded hardware, and the district is delaying replacement until management dashboards stabilize. He also described cybersecurity measures the district is implementing, including partnerships for CloudFlare web filtering and CrowdStrike endpoint monitoring to strengthen intrusion detection and email filtering.
On classroom devices, he said the district maintains a five‑year refresh cycle; high‑school and middle‑school students currently have one‑to‑one Chromebooks, while elementary students use cart checkout systems. Raleigh also announced selection of a cloud‑hosted VoIP phone system (Ednetics) to replace an end‑of‑life Mitel system this summer.
Raleigh acknowledged infrastructure needs remain after a failed bond measure but noted the district plans to use E‑rate Category 2 funds creatively to address critical wiring and fiber issues. He said the district is also exploring a cellular backup for the fiber feed and ongoing staff cybersecurity training.
Board members asked about artificial intelligence and whether the district will use AI internally; Raleigh said the technology team is considering an AI knowledge base for routine help‑desk tickets but will proceed cautiously.
The presentation concluded with thanks from the board. Raleigh said staff will continue surveying building needs and monitoring uptime and security metrics.
