Board hears IT overhaul, phishing training and plans for new IP cameras; small safety grant allocated for lockdown hardware

At the facilities and finance update, the district reported three technology priorities that will be rolled out across schools.

Linda (responding to a board request for an update) said the technology department will replace aging wireless access points and migrate controller hardware to a cloud solution in a phased rollout beginning this summer and continuing next year. "The controller hardware that we have now is reaching the end of its life... so it's time to move to the cloud solution with these new access points," she said.

She also described a district phishing‑awareness training program for staff to reduce credential‑sharing and ransomware risk, and an upcoming procurement for a modern IP camera system to replace hardware nearing a decade of use; the camera work will require new switches, wiring and server capacity. "This extensive infrastructure product is going to allow us also to install a much more robust camera system... we'll get more coverage, better analytics and more reliability," she said.

From a finance perspective, Linda said the district is allocating a $16,850 safety grant (through workers' compensation insurance) to the installation and expansion of lockdown hardware; she identified Rich Marrone as the director who will direct those purchases. She also said staff made corrective payroll allocations across federal grants (ESEA/Title I–IV, ESSER, ARP) and will submit an amendment to ARP (approved March 2022) to authorize updated uses.

Why it matters: the IT and safety projects involve capital and operational planning across buildings, affect classroom connectivity and staff practices, and may require multi‑year budgeting. Board members were told tuition‑rate estimates for 2024–25 are prepared with NJDOE software and will be certified later.

Next steps: procurement and bid review continue for camera and culinary‑arts contractor work; staff will return with vendor reviews and budget impacts as bids are finalized.