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Pelham outlines tech priorities: AI guidance, camera grant and software cuts through BOCES contracts
Summary
Technology staff told the board the district will launch teacher/student AI guidance, pursue a DANY-funded camera/door-access project enabled by recent infrastructure upgrades, and trim underused instructional software via BOCES cooperative procurements to secure state aid.
John Sabalos, Pelham’s technology lead, presented the district’s technology profile and budget priorities on March 18, emphasizing instructional supports, cybersecurity and procurement strategies.
Sabalos described current assets — interactive displays, classroom device carts in K–5 and a 1:1 laptop program in grades 6–12 — and highlighted partnerships with the Lyric help desk and BOCES cooperative purchasing as key operational supports. He said the district regularly assesses vendor usage and intends to move eligible software to cooperative BOCES RFS contracts to benefit from consortium pricing and state expense-based aid.
Sabalos said the district’s AI user group will release teacher and student guidelines at a professional-development session and that the district plans a parent workshop and a dedicated board work session on AI. "We’re going to be launching the creation of our teacher and student guidelines for use this Friday," he said.
A recently approved DANY grant will fund a major camera and IP-based door-access expansion that leverages completed infrastructure upgrades; the project includes fiber runs at the middle–high campus and additional cameras and door access points to improve security operations.
Sabalos said the district will cut roughly $100,000 from BOCES RFS software/license costs by reducing licenses and eliminating titles with very low usage — he cited one pandemic-era product now used by only a few teachers as an example — and will prioritize moving recurring software to cooperative contracts for better pricing and state reimbursement.
Trustees pressed staff on web-filter whitelisting and the unblock-request process; Sabalos said teacher unblock requests are typically vetted and processed within a four-hour window and that the district has streamlined the approval path to improve classroom access for legitimate content.
District leaders also noted one-time science-curriculum supply purchases and the DANY security grant will require short-term spending increases but that longer-term software and consultant reductions help offset those costs.
