Technology comes at a price. This message came through very clearly in the April 18 Philomath School Board meeting report.
Mark Neville, in his second year as the district's technology director, spent much of his 45-minute discussion with the board reviewing a “wish list” of technology needs for the next six to 18 months. spent.
The most urgent request was for the district's telephone replacement. Mr Neville described the system as “dying” and outdated with increasing maintenance costs.
“It's expensive. It costs about $68,000 to replace, and … it costs about $6,500 a year to renew (including the license),” Neville said.
Neville said the district spends about $13,000 a year on its current phone system, and that costs are expected to increase this summer. Just 5 years old, he explained that the system is complex, unintuitive, and would “cost an arm and a leg” if the district needed help.
“Right now, our phone system is at a standstill,” he said. “It's currently functional and up and running, but we can't make any changes at this time.”
Neville later added that the system “could die at any moment.”
Another need, he said, is related to a very outdated door access system, which has a base price of about $37,000 and would cost $5,000 per door if the district wanted to add it to the current setup. Thing. Some systems require additional costs through subscription services.
Replacement computers for teachers, staff and labs are also a priority. Neville said the current operating system software will expire and need to be replaced by October 2025, meaning it will no longer receive security updates and, as a result, the district will be required to meet insurance standards. He said that it would be impossible to comply with the law.
Neville said the replacement would require 150 laptops ($160,000), 55 desktop computers ($41,000) and 77 other machines in various locations ($39,000). The latter includes cheaper alternatives to those currently in place.
Other needs within the 6-18 month period include certain types of classroom technology where current systems are outdated. When I asked him for a quote, he said 12 smart boards cost him $51,000.
“IT is an animal and you have to feed it continuously. If you don't feed it, it will starve and everyone will not have access to services,” Neville said.
Neville also recommended that districts plan to replace Chromebooks on an annual cycle so that they don't become a major budget issue every five years. School principal Susan Halliday said work had been completed to implement the plan.
As for helping pay for some needs, Halliday said the district is considering the availability of technical grants and considering strategies on how to implement upgrades through annual budgeting. .
“We want technology to be planned for the future because it continues to grow and it's not going anywhere,” Neville said. “At the moment, it's just an integral part of daily life.”
One future expense that will occur in the next 12 to 24 months includes license renewals for the district's network.
“They're huge. They run everything and that's our backbone,” Neville said. “This is where all the traffic flows and it’s time for renewal, which means some equipment has reached the end of its life cycle and needs to be replaced, and some equipment needs new licenses. ” And it becomes horribly very expensive. ”
Mr. Neville mentioned how E-rate program funds can be used for certain expenses, including network-related expenses. The district is in the final year of its current E-rate cycle and these funds will not roll over to the next round. The Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program makes telecommunications and information services more affordable for schools.
“What we're talking about in IT is, we love active solutions, and we're willing to work on that and test other products and things that could potentially save us a lot of money. “I mean,” he said. “I can't guarantee anything, but I can tell you that I'm very excited about a few things.”
Neville said that in January 2026, the district will need to renew licenses for 55 switches at an estimated cost of $82,500 and 140 access points at an estimated cost of $60,000. At the same time, he added that he would need to replace 77 of these access points, and getting the license would increase his cost from $60,000 to $178,000.
A switch is a device in a computer network that connects other devices. Access point is a term used to describe a network device that bridges wired and wireless networks.
Mr Halliday said: “I am really confident in what has happened so far in terms of exploring possible solutions without minimizing the safety and security risks of what is happening in the district.'' ” he said.
In his speech, Neville also praised the efforts of the district's technology team, noting the steps the district has already taken to save significant amounts of money, including building its own data server and inventing in-class document cameras. Examples of measures are shown. He also noted that one-on-one he requires advanced work to support school districts that are implementing Chromebook programs.
Efforts currently underway include improving internet connectivity throughout the district, and Neville said current projects in that area should be completed by the end of this summer.
“This will significantly improve connectivity across the district and it will be fantastic,” he said.
The new message to the Board was about the continued importance of cybersecurity measures that need to continue. The Philomath IT team works with security experts from the Linn-Benton Lincoln Educational Services District.
“They do weekly scans of our systems just to see what potential threats we have. The first scan they did was 82 threats,” Neville said. “Thanks to the hard work of our security department and the work of our IT department, we are down to eight people.”
The success we've seen with the Philomaty system has clearly caught the attention of others.
“We have been asked to consult with other districts on how we have achieved that and we are happy to share,” Neville said.
The board will meet again Wednesday at 6 p.m., with a scheduled work session that will primarily include aligning district, superintendent and board goals.
More news from the April 18 meeting:
• Madeline Thompson Rudolph of the Oregon Natural Resources Education Foundation Advisory Board presented Philomath High School forestry teacher Simon Babcock with a certificate of appreciation and a $2,000 grant. The grant includes $1,729 from the Terry Selby Memorial Grant Fund and $271 from the Oregon Society of Oregon. American Foresters Subfund.
• Halliday asked board members to take a closer look at enrollment trends between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years as part of a new process for admitting and tracking students for the 2024-25 school year. I looked up the transfer number. At a subsequent meeting, the board approved the proposed numbers, which were broken down by grade level, bringing the total expected new transfer students up to 310. The board also approved updates to related school policies.
• The board approved the adoption of Philomath Middle School's social studies curriculum following a presentation by Principal Steve Bell and social studies teacher Meegan Benbow. The materials were expected to last at least seven years and cost $50,039. The board also approved his $33,539 for Philomath High School's science needs, including certain materials and laboratory equipment. Halliday said funding for the two requests is available in the budget.
• Chris Singer, program coordinator for the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub, provided an overview of the program and its impact on local schools and students. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and CTE is an abbreviation for Career and Technical Education.
• As part of a report from Business Manager Jennifer Griffith, the district's full-time enrollment was reported at 1,677 students, including Philomath High School (455 students) and Philomath Academy (99 students). , Philomath Middle School (341 students), and Philomath Elementary School. (376), Clemens Elementary School (172), Blodgett Elementary School (35), and Kings Valley Charter School (199).
• Mr. Halliday presented the Superintendent's Report with information on various education-related special recognition weeks, reported on elementary school book battle teams that participated in the state competition, shared information on summer learning opportunities, and Provided the latest information on confidential trade union negotiations. She expressed her appreciation for special education and mentioned the start of an outdoor school for sixth graders.
• The school district is scheduled to participate in a meeting April 24 at 4 p.m. to consider updates and timelines regarding the city's South 16th Street expansion project planned for this summer near Philomath Elementary School . South 17th Street.
• Staffing adjustments reported as part of the consent agenda included the resignation of Jolene Lutz, a longtime teacher and theater director.
• The board approved a resolution to transfer $15,000 between instruction-related funds to reclassify previously allocated costs.
• Mr. Halliday submitted a report examining the district's professional development programs.
• Ava Theurer, co-president of the Associated Student Organization, provided board members with an overview of student news and activities.
