Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cascade SD outlines phone replacement and expands AI tools for staff and teachers
Summary
District technology staff said the decade‑old Mitel/ShoreTel phone system reaches end-of-life in 2028 and the district plans replacement this year (about 350 phones at roughly $40 each); staff also described use of Gemini and Notebook in Google Workspace for lesson planning, slide creation and draft IEP content.
The district technology lead told the board the existing Mitel/ShoreTel phone infrastructure will be unsupported after 2028 and the district has budgeted this year to replace phones, switches and servers rather than risk an end‑of‑support emergency. "We're paying about $40 per phone right now. And we have 350 phones across the district," the presenter said in explaining scale and cost considerations.
The technology staff also described teacher and staff adoption of AI tools (Gemini and Notebook) inside the district Google Workspace domain. Examples included producing slide decks from instructor content, generating podcasts summarizing legislation and using AI as a drafting tool for IEP goals and reports; staff emphasized that AI outputs must be vetted by professionals before use. The district reported having provided professional development and ESD training to elementary teachers on AI tools.
The board discussed student safety and emergency‑call requirements and confirmed physical classroom phones remain necessary to support 911 and on‑site safety.
