Board discusses safety package: Verkada phase 2 cameras, InformaCast notification and staffing options

District administration briefed the board on safety-and-security work completed and planned. Phase 1 awarded about $1.9 million for exterior Verkada cameras; administration said about $4.3 million remained in a board-authorized transfer to a capital reserve for safety and security and estimated phase 2 at about $2.5 million to add interior cameras, access control and licensing.

IT staff described InformaCast Fusion as the mass-notification system that would operate as the "brain" to control future PA hardware and to send alerts across multiple endpoints. "The product is InformaCast Fusion," IT staff said, and presented an annual cost figure for the software portion of roughly $59,000. The presenter said the InformaCast core could be operational in about a month and hardware (PA system) would follow through a separate procurement. "This will overtake those devices and put out a splash screen with whatever the SRP protocol is at that time," an IT staffer said when explaining classroom takeover and emergency notification.

Board members raised funding questions (use of the transferred $6M, PCCD grant eligibility, ESSER options) and operational questions about monitoring and staffing of cameras. Several directors asked for a single comprehensive safety plan showing scope, funding sources (one-time vs. ongoing), and annual operating costs rather than piecemeal motions. Staff said they were preparing that plan and would attempt internal testing of InformaCast this week in multiple locations. The presenter said he had discussed the system with local law enforcement (Chief Carroll) and could seek written confirmation of support for the board to review.

No formal procurement vote was recorded at the work session; administration indicated it would present the InformaCast proposal and the hardware RFP in subsequent meetings after testing and compiling recommended contract terms and written law-enforcement input.