East Haddam considers multi-school security camera upgrade and wide-ranging facilities work as superintendent unveils budget priorities

Facilities staff and the superintendent used the Feb. 4 Business & Planning subcommittee meeting to present a slate of capital needs that include a district-wide security camera replacement and a broader list of prioritized projects as the district prepares its 2025–26 budget.

Cameras and cloud storage: Facilities staff described replacing cameras at all three schools and migrating video storage to a cloud-hosted service to avoid on-premises server replacement costs. Staff listed example purchase and licensing figures and compared purchase vs. lease options. The presentation included an elementary-school example of roughly 37 cameras and a preliminary purchase figure reported in the packet; staff also cited annual cloud license fees and offered a five-year lease with licenses included as a budget-friendly option to start. A 10-year warranty on camera hardware was reported; staff said routine replacements and optional technology upgrades (for PTZ or higher-resolution cameras) would incur additional costs.

Officials discussed vendor reliability, cloud redundancy (multiple data locations), automatic updates and cyber-security questions. Committee members pressed staff on lifecycle and long-term costs: staff recommended a five-year lease with the option to purchase at the end of the term so the district can budget the expense over time while preserving warranty and service coverage.

Other capital priorities: Staff presented a prioritized list of capital projects across the district: exterior and building-mounted lighting at the elementary school (security-driven, request in the packet ~$25,000), playground and K‑1 playground accounts, a kitchen serving-line item supported by current set-asides (~$30,000 mentioned), an emergency access road to the elementary (noted to require Public Works coordination), roofing work, BMS/controller replacements, carpeting and courtyard improvements, track resurfacing and grounds equipment replacement. Some larger controller items and high-school controller replacements were called out as expensive capital items that will require Board of Finance review.

Superintendent's budget overview: Superintendent Dr Deito presented the district vision and instructional priorities—science of reading (in alignment with state law), social-emotional learning and restorative practices, Project Lead the Way STEM programming, and continued professional development. She highlighted that salaries and benefits constitute the bulk of the budget (stated around 76% in the presentation), and that the district is projecting enrollment stabilization in the 950–960 range for the next five years.

Committee discussion and next steps: Members discussed trade-offs, the limited ability to reduce fixed costs such as salaries and transportation, and contingency scenarios (e.g., 7% or 6% budget reductions) that would require difficult decisions. The committee agreed to forward camera figures and capital priorities to the Board of Finance and to include the superintendent’s proposed 2025–26 budget and calendar on the full board agenda next week for final consideration.

Quotes from the meeting included the facilities presenter noting, "we're looking to upgrade all the cameras and convert all the cameras to the cloud," and the superintendent framing priorities: "the district vision is really important for us to have that in mind."