Bay Shore board reviews state-approved 2026'29 Instructional Technology Plan and upgrades network redundancy

Bay Shore's board meeting included a detailed presentation of the district's Instructional Technology Plan for 2026'29, which the presenter said New York State has approved. The plan keeps much of the prior 2022'25 framework but revises certain structural questions and centers on three goals: professional learning, instructional software optimization, and equitable access to high-speed internet both on campus and at home.

The presenter summarized the plan-development process as an initial audit, iterative reviews by the district technology committee (teachers and building/district administrators), targeted feedback cycles, and creation of three goals. Goal one emphasizes responsive professional learning (use of Otis, weekly PD run by the digital learning specialist, and a summer digital learning institute). Goal two calls for auditing the district's digital portfolio to identify redundancies and consolidate to higher-impact tools. Goal three centers on robust internet access: the presenter described completed WAN links and enterprise-class firewalls, two 10-gig internet connections with redundant paths, and a tertiary 2-gig backup line. Core distribution switches in the high school and middle school are scheduled to be rebuilt in the summer of 2026.

Board members asked about artificial intelligence and infrastructure impacts. The presenter said most AI processing takes place off campus at large data centers; as a result, the district has not yet seen significant bandwidth strain. Members also discussed academic integrity, and the high school's recent academic integrity policy update was cited as addressing AI use in student work.

Separately during the meeting, a board member publicly thanked Michael Versinger for his technology presentation and approved continuing his contract. In motions later in the agenda the board amended employment agreements for District leaders, including Dr. Steven J. Maloney, Mrs. Maureen Versinger, and Mr. Michael Versinger.

The plan includes infrastructure changes the presenter characterized as increasing available bandwidth roughly 44-fold compared with the district's prior single half-gig connection. District materials presented at the meeting show investment in redundancy (dual 10Gb links and an independent middle-school hub) intended to limit single points of failure and support instructional tools districtwide.