Board approves E-rate bid strategy, opts for Twin Lakes dark fiber to lower recurring costs

The Clay County Board of Education on Jan. 15 approved seeking bids for Category 2 E-rate equipment and accepted staff’s recommendation to pursue Twin Lakes’ twin-leg dark-fiber option for the district’s network connections.

District staff said current wireless hardware is more than seven years old and that the district is paying recurring licensing fees of about $18,000 annually. Staff proposed using Category 2 E-rate funds to replace hardware and include multiyear licensing with new equipment to reduce that recurring cost.

On the specific fiber response, staff reported Twin Lakes submitted both dark and lit fiber options as required by E-rate rules. Staff recommended the twin-leg dark fiber at the lower cost; the presenter said E-rate would cover roughly 90% of the eligible cost and that the district’s share would be approximately 10 percent. Staff estimated the reworked bid would save the district approximately $4,169 annually. The board voted to accept the recommendation and approve moving forward with the procurement process.

The board did not record a detailed roll-call tally in the spoken record available in the transcript.