Candidates highlight ransomware, staffing and internet costs as top technology concerns for Hermon schools

Technology and cybersecurity surfaced repeatedly at the Hermon candidate forum.

Multiple candidates said the district experienced a ransomware incident and brought in an outside firm to assist; one candidate said an assessment found outdated servers and software. "This school has had a ransomware attack... we have to do better with technology," a candidate said, urging improved network protections.

Candidates credited the district with hiring a new IT director and establishing a monthly tech committee that allows public comment. "The technology director has been huge," said the forum's incumbent chair, who also said isolated wireless issues remain but called broader assertions that teachers lack internet resources "inaccurate."

Several candidates pointed to concrete steps: adopting Chromebooks, improving wireless access, and changing the district's internet arrangement. The transcript records two differing numerical references about the internet bill: one speaker described the prior bill as "$44,000 month it Bill and going to the main system is a a good a great step forward," while another said the change was "saving us $4,000 a month for internet." The forum did not reconcile those figures and no documentation was presented at the event.

Candidates also proposed hiring a technology integration specialist to help teachers incorporate devices into lesson plans and to reduce classroom disruption when systems fail. They urged ongoing transparency, public updates from the tech committee and further validation of any cost-savings or remediation work by district staff or auditors.

No formal decisions about procurement, staffing or budgets were made at the forum.