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District weighs replacing copper landlines with IP phones to cut costs and modernize service
Summary
Officials discussed moving away from aging copper POTS lines to an internet-based phone system after Frontier signaled a push to fiber; Paul estimated preliminary townwide savings north of $100,000 but board members raised concerns about emergency lines, elevators and service continuity during a multi-month migration.
District technology staff and board members discussed plans to migrate the district’s phone service from legacy copper (POTS) lines to an internet-based (IP) phone system, a transition staff said could produce significant savings but must be carefully phased to preserve emergency and alarm functions.
Paul said Frontier has signaled it will move away from copper service and the district is exploring an IP-based managed phone system. He described a preliminary estimate of “over $100,000 worth of savings” across the town and board operations from moving to an IP system but cautioned the number was a rough estimate and distribution of savings varies by location. One board member suggested the district might realize about 80% of that savings on the board-of-education side; Paul said the precise allocation depends on location counts and equipment needs.
Board members pressed on operational risks and constraints. Multiple speakers noted that elevators, alarm systems and some emergency functions currently rely on copper circuits and may require retained copper lines or alternative hardwired solutions for redundancy. Paul said the migration would be a planned, multi-month process, likely to take place after the school year ends this summer, and warned that phone-system migrations are “absolute nightmares” for IT teams and require careful vendor selection and testing.
Members also discussed options to port published phone numbers and to provide parents with reliable contact methods during the transition. No contract award or formal procurement decision was recorded at the meeting; staff said they are evaluating managed-provider options and will return with a migration plan and cost estimate.
