Board debates $1.02M classroom communication and safety system for Saks; selectmen removed several capital requests

New Canaan Public Schools administrators described a proposed district communication and classroom‑amplification system intended to serve daily instruction and safety needs, highlighting features such as wearable teacher microphones, classroom speakers, building‑level intercom/paging, camera integration, lockdown and medical alert buttons, bell scheduling and live AI‑based translation for multilingual students.

Administrators said the district installed a system at the high school and has quotes to deploy a similar system at Saks; the presented estimate for the Saks installation was approximately $1.02 million (quotes in the review ranged near $1.0–1.02M). The vendor discussed training and a one‑time installation model (no recurring license fee for system use; upgrade/refresh cycles would apply).

Board reaction: Some members praised the instructional and safety benefits, citing daily classroom use, better audibility for students and translation for English‑learners. Other members cautioned that the district faces multiple competing capital needs (roofs, paving) and that impending facility planning or possible reconfigurations could make a large, building‑level installation premature. The Board of Selectmen had already removed the Saks communication project, East paving ($500,000) and several other items from the selectmen’s capital recommendations; finance board members noted the Board of Finance retains the authority to add items back.

Context and technical details: Administration described how the system integrates with cameras to bring the nearest camera into view when an alert is activated; teachers wear a mic/lanyard and can control volume and call alerts from anywhere in the building; classrooms typically receive six speakers; the system includes a live translation capability that uses a separate language model engine and can, in trials, provide real‑time translation and two‑way participation for non‑English speakers.

Next steps: Finance asked staff to continue vendor negotiations to lower cost where possible and to provide options (phased installations or pared scopes). Board members suggested trade‑offs or partial funding options to avoid duplicative work should facility plans change.