TCU IT director outlines 1/3/5‑year technology plan, e‑rate Wi‑Fi cutover and Chromebook deliveries

Carl Mink, Tri‑City United’s director of information technology, told the school board on May 26 that the district has a draft 1/3/5‑year technology plan ready for review and is scheduling several near‑term infrastructure updates.

Mink said the Cisco wireless main controller purchased under e‑rate is expected within about three weeks and the district will perform a one‑day cutover with an external engineer to minimize downtime. He said the deployment should provide a five‑year platform for Wi‑Fi access control and administration.

On student devices, Mink reported vendor deliveries have arrived in batches and the last pallet—about 310 Chromebooks intended for grade 5 and grade 9 lifecycle replacement—was due to arrive the morning after the meeting. He said lower grades will not see major new carts this year because the district found usable conditioned devices during its inventory sweep.

Mink described end‑of‑year device collection and recycling plans that will reclaim funds for future purchases, and outlined planned installs of 21 intermediate distribution frame (IDF) switches to modernize building network closets. He credited new technician Brady Spiker for building a custom streaming/streamline audio box at a lower cost than commercial options and noted the district’s intent to adopt wireless tabletop microphones for clearer board meeting audio.

Mink said the technology plan aligns with curriculum and instruction goals and is intended as a living document; he expects to present the final plan for board approval in July. No vote was taken on the plan during the May 26 meeting; Mink asked the board for review and feedback over the summer.

The board did not change policy or approve purchases at the meeting; Mink described timelines and processes for the stated upgrades and device management activities.