Board approves district participation in FUSIS security program after cost options presented

Chief Cochran and district technology staff presented options and recommended the board approve USD 501's participation in the FUSIS security program for the coming school year; the board voted unanimously to allow district leadership to proceed.
Chief Cochran told the board he had solicited quotes from vendors, including Axon, and described multi-year pricing models and hardware options. "For 2 cores, remember, it was $7,300 a piece... in a 5 year agreement with them, it would be $17,764," Cochran said on the record when describing one option. He also said a three-core option would increase the upfront cost and provided comparative annual and multi-year figures during his presentation. Cochran said staff believe two cores are a reasonable start but recommended authority to acquire a third core if necessary to provide adequate coverage.
Dr. Beeson moved to "approve the district's participation in the FUSIS program for the upcoming school year and allow the district leadership to enact the current best outcomes for the district." Dr. Blomberg seconded the motion. The chair called for a hand vote; board members raised their hands and the motion carried unanimously.
Board members asked for the vendor bids and supporting documents; Cochran said he would forward the bids to district staff for distribution to the board and that visits to the FUSIS center were scheduled for July 31 for staff and several board members.
The action authorizes the administration to enter a contract within the parameters described; the board did not vote on a specific vendor quote or contract length during the meeting and left selection and final contracting to staff direction.