Stokes County board votes to exit CalAmp/Synovia GPS deal, directs superintendent to pursue Edulog lease

The Stokes County Board of Education voted to end its agreement with the current bus GPS provider and directed Superintendent Tedder to pursue a new contract with Edulog, opting for a hardware‑as‑a‑service lease intended to be implemented before the next school year.

Dr. Tedder told the board he recommends exiting the CalAmp/Synovia contract early and paying the remaining July–December obligation on July 1 so the district can install Edulog equipment, migrate data and train staff over the summer. He said the district received a notice that including May and June the total obligation to the current vendor is $41,567; the remaining July–December obligation is roughly $31,001.75. "This timeline will allow us to complete uninstallation of CalAmp equipment, installation of Edulog hardware, data migration, and staff training before the start of the school year," Dr. Tedder said.

Tedder described the Edulog option as more reliable and more feature‑rich for parents and mechanics: the Samsara devices demoed with Edulog maintained signal on a long route during prior testing, he said, and the system provides expanded engine‑diagnostic readouts and a more accurate parent portal than the current setup. He recommended option A (hardware as a service) over outright purchase because the vendor maintains and replaces aging equipment under the lease.

Board members queried the cost and contract length. Tedder said Edulog's lease runs five years and is roughly 45–50% more expensive per month than the existing service, but he argued the district's past technological problems with the current vendor and the anticipated operational benefits justify the added cost. He also said the funding for the buyout is coming from the state's O56 allotment and that the district cannot use this fiscal year's allotment to prepay July–December until July 1; he said the allotment is expected to cover the obligation next year.

Several trustees urged caution about paying a vendor early and asked staff to confirm whether paying the full remainder in a lump sum yields any fiscal benefit compared with paying monthly. Tedder said he would investigate and report back. After discussion, a trustee moved and the board voted to cancel the current contract effective July 1, 2026, and authorized Dr. Tedder to pursue the Edulog agreement and finalize contract terms for a subsequent board vote. "If the auditors are fine with it, then we're fine with it," one trustee said in support of the transition.

Next steps: the board authorized staff to pursue the new contract and to return with a finalized agreement for board approval; staff also will confirm whether a lump‑sum payment or monthly payments offer any advantage before closing out the current vendor.

Attribution: Dr. Tedder led the presentation and cost disclosures; the board chair and multiple board members participated in the Q&A and approved the motion to exit the existing contract.