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Keystone Central SD board advances technology, security and staffing planning ahead of fall
Summary
At the July 2 work session trustees reviewed a plan to shift K–4 to shared laptop carts to reduce device breakage, discussed a new Verkada camera rollout, recommended hiring a full-time network administrator and confirmed school officer hires with substitute coverage at $20 an hour.
Trustees reviewed several operational items July 2 related to technology, school security and personnel. The technology department recommended adopting shared laptop carts for kindergarten through fourth grade to reduce breakage and battery problems and urged ordering equipment in the coming week to meet a September rollout.
Ed Sharma, the district’s technology administrator, said the vendor estimates and logistics mean devices and carts for classrooms should be ordered early; he also confirmed the new Verkada security camera installation could finish sooner than expected, possibly by the end of this month or early August rather than the previously planned end of August. "They're really kicking *** and taking names," a committee member said on the record about installer progress.
Board members discussed hardware choices and costs, noting students in grades 5–6 have the highest breakage rates and that taking devices off campus often leads to damage. Trustees supported exploring refurbished desktops for board members so Chromebooks could remain available to students.
Sharma also reported his network administrator’s last day is approaching and recommended the district replace the role with a full-time network administrator to manage the increasing demands of cameras, door locks and other networked systems. Trustees instructed the personnel committee and administration to draft a job description and expedite hiring discussions.
On security staffing, trustees reviewed school officer certifications and contracts. Two experienced former officers — identified in discussion as Todd and Corey — offered to serve as substitutes at $20 per hour until the newly hired officers are fully seated and trained. Trustees also noted authorization paperwork for officers’ firearms certification would be routed through solicitor review.
No formal procurement or hiring motions were approved in the work session; trustees directed administration to prepare job descriptions, pricing and procurement options for the upcoming voting session.
