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Trustees approve E‑Rate‑supported internal network upgrade, district to pay 20%
Summary
Brenham ISD trustees approved a district contribution to an E‑Rate Category 2 internal‑connections project covering switches, SFPs and access points; E‑Rate will cover about 80%, leaving the district responsible for roughly $17,341.57 from the technology budget.
Brenham ISD trustees voted to approve a district contribution toward an internal‑connections infrastructure upgrade after hearing a presentation from the district’s director of information technology, Britney Kalix.
Kalix told trustees the upgrades respond to outdated equipment that limits speeds in some classrooms and pulls bandwidth from instruction. She cited an example at Alton Elementary where switches and SFPs were limited to 1 gigabit, and a junior high classroom used for dance and cheer with no access point that caused inconsistent phone and laptop connectivity. "So the 2nd example I wanna give you is at junior high... we had no access point in that room," Kalix said, explaining the impact on instruction and security.
The district sought an E‑Rate Category 2 internal‑connections discount to offset the cost. Kalix said the total project cost is $86,707.85, E‑Rate would cover about 80% of eligible costs, and the district’s share would be $17,341.57, funds already available in the technology budget. She asked the board to approve purchase of 10 network switches with licensing, 20 SFPs and 5 access points with licensing under the VMOS contract, and noted the district received 20 vendor bids and used a scoring matrix included in the board packet to recommend the top vendor.
A trustee moved to approve the district contribution of 20% of the total cost for the internal network upgrades, with the remaining funds covered through E‑Rate support as presented; the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor. The board member who presented the motion was recorded in the minutes; the vote was announced in open session as "Aye," and the chair declared the motion carried.
Board members praised the technology team's diligence in pursuing E‑Rate discounts and balancing budget priorities. Kalix emphasized the upgrades were phased to spread costs over multiple years and to reduce classroom lag during high‑stakes testing. "By doing e rate, we save $69,000, over $69,000," she said.
The district will proceed with the vendor and procurement steps described in the packet and begin ordering and installation per the E‑Rate timelines.
