Rockwood CIO details Prop 3 rollouts, help‑desk volume and local study of Google Gemini use

Bob Denneau, Rockwood’s chief information officer, told the Board of Education the district’s technology teams support “just under 19,000 students” across more than 30 buildings and have used Prop 3 funds to upgrade networks, install interactive flat panels and deploy devices.

The update, presented as information only, laid out the department’s three teams — network/server, information systems and instructional technology — and summarized operational metrics, including more than 4,000 support tickets in August, roughly 17,000 tickets year‑to‑date and nearly 12,000 help‑desk phone calls handled by a small staff. “If we don’t have that in place and that team is not making sure that that network is reliable … that is felt,” Denneau said.

Why it matters: the district relies on the technical backbone to keep phones, wi‑fi and learning systems running; disruptions affect safety and instruction, staff said. The district has also invested in redundancy such as uninterrupted power supplies to keep phones and wireless online during power outages.

Denneau described how Prop 3 funds were used: network switching and resiliency work, widescale deployment of interactive flat panels (about 500 panels installed), and device refreshes including roughly 2,200 iPads primarily for K–2. He said some device setups (iPads) require manual configuration that lengthens deployment timelines.

On cybersecurity and privacy, Denneau said the district uses multiple layers of protection and manages many systems in‑house to reduce costs and preserve control. He noted the district maintains more than 100 student data‑privacy agreements for online resources and that data integrations across systems are an ongoing operational focus.

AI review: Denneau described a limited, targeted review of Google Gemini use by 10 power users at each high school during March 1–14. He said the sample showed the most common use was academic support — students quizzing themselves or using Gemini as a tutor — and that he “did not find a single use case of ‘write my essay for me’” in that sample. The review also found instances of assignment‑completion help and occasional personal or counseling uses; in one case Gemini returned calming techniques and a hotline number when a student reported panicking, a response Denneau described as a positive safety signal.

Board members asked about how ticket data are analyzed for trends, whether multiple versions of similar software create support burdens, and how the department runs projects. Denneau said ticket trends are used to identify problem sites, curriculum purchases often drive overlapping software decisions, and project management is shared among department heads with central coordination for large initiatives such as the smart‑panel rollout.

What’s next: staff said they will continue to use Prop 3 funding for infrastructure and device installs, repeat and expand the Gemini usage review later in the year, and continue outreach and training so teachers use technology to amplify instruction rather than substitute for core learning activities.