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District technology review highlights aging network gear and available E‑Rate funds
Summary
The district's technology director presented bandwidth use, an inventory of end‑of‑life networking equipment, and an E‑Rate funding balance of about $165,000 with a local share near $25,000. Trustees discussed device lifecycles, backup and security projects, and a pending grant for Chromebooks.
The Corning Union High School District's director of technology, Matt Jardin, told the board the district's sites run on a mix of AT&T ASE circuits and an early‑2000s OM3 fiber backbone and that several core switches and wireless access points are at or near end of life. "We have OM3 fiber installed early 2000s," Jardin said, and inventory lists showed multiple HP 2530 and HP 2915 switches and dozens of Ruckus APs across campuses.
Jardin also summarized federal E‑Rate support the district can use for services and infrastructure. He reported the district is on year five of a five‑year cycle and that about $165,000 remains in the current E‑Rate allocation with a district portion around $25,000. "This is 10 cents on the dollar so it's a huge savings," he said, describing Category 1 discounts for internet and Category 2 discounts for switches and cabling. The board discussed priorities for replacing EOL gear, and Jardin listed planned projects including two‑factor authentication for Aeries, backup consolidation (Barracuda and Google/Syscloud) and an access‑control upgrade.
Trustees pressed on practical tradeoffs: whether to prioritize wired core replacements, new wireless APs, or device refreshes for classrooms. Jardin outlined a Chromebook replacement concept tied to grant prospects: replace devices on a four‑year cycle at freshman entry, and pursue a pending tribal grant that, if received, could enable purchasing roughly 350 Chromebooks per year.
