[00:00:13]
IT'S TRUE ON THE FOLKS ASSEMBLED.
UH, THIS IS THE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14TH, READING OF THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE.
UM, IF WE COULD PUT THE AGENDA UP, PLEASE.
UM, IF WE COULD STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INVISIBLE, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
CAN WE NEED AN APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA? I MOVE.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? EMOTION SAYS WE'RE ALL ABSENT.
I'VE BEEN WATCHING ALL THESE SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES AND THAT SCARED ME.
THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS APPROVAL OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 9TH, MEETING MEETING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 9TH.
NEXT ITEM IS ZOE 17.11 BROADBAND EXPANSION.
AND WE TOUCHED ON THIS LAST TIME AND I THINK, UM, IS THIS YOURS TANYA? YES, SIR.
I'M GOING TO DO THIS REPORT AND THEN THE REMAINING ITEMS WILL BE DONE BY MARCH.
WE SPLIT UP THE TASKS FOR THE, FOR THE MEETING.
SO WE, UM, SHARED HERE THE INFORMATION OR SHARED THE WEALTH.
SO ARE WE 17 POINT 11, UH, STATES THAT WE ENSURE CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT WITH TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS FOR BROADBAND EXPANSION? SO OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST, UM, MONTH AND A HALF, WE'VE HAD TWO MEETINGS SO FAR, UH, REGARDING BROADBAND AND EVERYONE CAN HEAR ME.
SO OUR FIRST DATE ON SEPTEMBER 8TH, UH, WITH, UH, DR.
RODRIGUEZ, UM, MR. SHOHAN AND I MET WITH, UH, JARED FRAELICH, WHO IS THE, AN ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND HEATHER RATS.
SHE'S A CONSULTANT FOR THE, UH, BUFORD COUNTY.
UM, SHE, I BELIEVE SHE WORKS AT THE STATE LEVEL AND, UH, WORKS AT CONSULTANT IN THIS AREA, UM, FOR OTHER ENTITIES.
UM, THERE WAS A PARTICULAR, UM, DISCUSSION OF A POTENTIAL PROPOSAL FOR A SATELLITE PHASE PROGRAM CALLED STARLINK STARLINK IS OPERATED BY THE SPACE X PROGRAM, WHICH IS A VENTURE OF ELON MUSK.
SO YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF SPACE X, UM, IT'S ALL, IT'S SORT OF SITTING ON THE SAME AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.
THEY HAVE A, UH, OPERATION THERE NEXT TO NASA.
I KNOW CAUSE I WENT TO, UH, A VACATION SPOT THERE RECENTLY.
AND SO I, I MET, I'M KIND OF INTERESTED IN IT BECAUSE IT ALL CAME TOGETHER.
ONCE I GOT BACK TO THE OFFICE AND HAD THIS MEETING, UM, SO THIS NORTH AMERICA, UH, SPACE X IS PROVIDING SATELLITE INTERNET SERVICES.
THEY'RE SH THEY'RE SHOOTING ROCKETS INTO SPACE, PLACING SATELLITES INTO I THINK THE LOWER
[00:05:01]
ATMOSPHERE AND PROVIDING SATELLITE INTERNET SERVICES TO, UM, HOMEOWNERS OR WORLDWIDE.IT'S A RELATIVELY NEW PROGRAM.
THEY HAVE IT IN BETA FORM AND THEY DO OFFER AN ANGEL SPONSORSHIP TO ALLOW, UH, INDIVIDUAL ENTITIES TO PAY FOR OTHERS INTERNET SERVICES ON THEIR BEHALF.
UM, SO SOME ENTITIES LIKE MUNICIPALITIES ARE LOOKING TO POTENTIALLY, UM, FUND THESE, THIS VENTURE ON WITH THEIR AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS.
UH, THE COUNTY IS DISCUSSING WITH THEIR COUNCIL A POTENTIAL PILOT PROGRAM AND WAS JUST SEEKING INTEREST, UH, FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON WHAT WE THOUGHT.
UM, JUST KIND OF INFORMING US, EDUCATING US ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND THEN JUST KIND OF GAUGING OUR INTEREST IN THE AREA.
OF COURSE, NOTHING WAS COMMITTED.
UH WE'VE SINCE RESEARCHED THIS A LITTLE MORE AND THEN WE'D HAVE ANOTHER, UH, HAD ANOTHER MEETING WITH ANOTHER, UM, ANOTHER GROUP, WHICH YOU'LL SEE IN THIS DOCUMENT A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN.
AND SO OF COURSE WE'RE STILL, UM, IN THE JUST GATHERING INFORMATION STAGE.
SO THIS, UH, VENTURE WOULD OF COURSE SERVE UNDERSERVED FAMILIES IN RURAL RURAL AREAS.
THAT WOULD BE, WE WOULD ZERO IN ON POCKETS OF AREAS THAT WERE UNSPARINGLY EARNED, SERVED OR HIGH POVERTY.
SO THE SECOND MEETING WE HAD ON SEPTEMBER 30TH WAS WITH A RURAL UTILITY GROUP.
IT'S A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT LAYS FIBER, UM, THROUGHOUT NORTH, UH, RURAL PARTS OF COUNTIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, ST GEORGE, UH, BARNWELLS OR SOME OF THE AREAS THEY HAVE, UM, PUT FIBER AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO PROPOSE, UH, AN OPTION FOR US TO SERVE.
THEY, THEY ARE SLIGHTLY INTO BUFORD COUNTY IN THE NORTHERN, VERY NORTHERN MOST PART OF THE COUNTY AND LOOKING TO MOVE, UH, EXTEND THAT, UH, FIBER INTO SOME OF OUR MOST RURAL, RURAL AREAS IN THE VERY NORTHERN MOST PART OF THE COUNTY.
UM, IT WOULD MAKE A VERY HIGH SPEED CONNECTION.
UM, UH, PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST CONNECTIONS YOU COULD RECEIVE AS FAR AS YOUR INTERNET SERVICE.
UH, AND IT WOULD BE A PERMANENT INVESTMENT, PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT LAID INTO THE GROUND AND THEN WOULD ALLOW FAMILIES THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT TO THAT FIBER AND, AND CONNECT, UH, SUBSCRIBE WITH THEM AS THE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER.
UH, IT WOULD BE, UM, A PERMANENT INVESTMENT, UM, BUT IT WOULD NOT CONNECT DIRECTLY TO HOMES AT THAT POINT.
UH, AND WE WERE INFORMED THAT THERE ARE SOME, UM, OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE, UM, FOLKS THAT ARE, UM, LOWER INCOME TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD, UH, AT A DISCOUNTED RATE, THOSE INTERNET SERVICE SUBSCRIPTIONS.
SO, UM, SO THIS WAS VERY INTERESTING, VERY TWO DIFFERENT, UM, PROPOSALS THAT WERE BROUGHT FORWARD WITH US, UH, TO US.
AND, BUT SO WE THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE WORK BEING DONE THROUGHOUT THE STATE, UM, ON THIS TOPIC.
SO FIRST OF ALL, WE WANT TO CONNECT WITH OUR HARD GRAY SERVICE SERVICE PROVIDER.
AND SO WE REACHED OUT TO SCHEDULE A MEETING AND WE, WE HAVE YET TO SCHEDULE IT.
SO WE'RE WAITING ON A RESPONSE AND WE SHOULD BE GETTING THAT WITHIN, UM, VERY SHORTLY.
AND WE'LL BE SETTING THAT UP TO MEET WITH HEARTBREAK, TO SEE WHAT THEIR PLANS ARE, UM, EXPANSION REGARDING BROADBAND EXPANSION IN OUR AREA.
AND THEN WE KNOW THAT THE STATE IS DOING, MAKING SOME MOVEMENTS AND EFFORTS TOWARD, UM, ON THIS TOPIC AS WELL.
SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO CONTINUE TO KEEP AS INFORMED AS POSSIBLE ON WHAT THEIR EFFORTS ARE.
SO, UM, THAT'S ALL THE UPDATE I HAVE FOR TODAY, BUT, UH, WE ARE LEARNING A LOT ABOUT IT.
UM, MR.
[00:10:08]
THANK YOU.UM, I WAS READING, SORRY, MY BOY, I'M LOSING MY VOICE.
UH, WHEN YOU SAY YOU MET WITH A UTILITY COMPANY, WHICH ON, AND THEN IT SAYS DOWN HERE, IT SAYS THAT, UM, THEY WOULD, THAT YOU WOULD BAND BASICALLY SUBSCRIBE WITH THE UTILITY COMPANY, UH, FOR INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOU WHAT YOU MEAN BY UTILITY COMPANY? IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE BEING PURPOSELY VAGUE.
I DON'T WANT TO TIP ANYTHING OFF.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
THEY'RE MARKETING AND PICK OUT.
UM, WE MET WITH, UM, PALMETTO, UH, TELEPHONE RULE, TELEPHONE COOPERATIVE.
SO THEY BASICALLY MAINTAIN THE OLD SOUTHERN BELL AND BOB BELL LINES, UM, FOR ON THE TELEPHONE AND DSL SIDE, THEY RUN MOST OF THE RULE, UM, SUBSTATIONS THROUGHOUT, UH, SOUTH CAROLINA.
AND THEY REALLY FEEL THE NICHE WHERE THE BIGGER PLAYERS LIKE YOUR COMCAST, YOUR HARD GRAYS REALLY HAVEN'T MOVED INTO THESE RURAL AREAS BECAUSE OF THE POPULATION FACTORS.
IT'S NOT COST EFFECTIVE FOR THOSE BIG COMPANIES TO MOVE IN.
UM, AND SINCE THEY ALREADY HAVE COPPER LINES AND SOME FIBER IN THESE AREAS, THEY ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN WORKING WITH THE STATE, UM, ORS AND DIFFERENT, UM, FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO EXPAND THEIR PLANT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
BUT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDING FIBER AND NOT USING THE CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE.
THAT IS CORRECT THAT THIS TIME, THE AREAS OF NORTHERN BUFORD COUNTY THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND IN, UM, THEY DO NOT HAVE CURRENT PLANT IN AND THEY WOULD BE MOVING FIBER INTO THOSE AREAS AND SUBDIVISIONS SUPPORT THOSE HOUSEHOLDS.
SO I'M SORRY, MR. CHAIR OF BALTIMORE AND BACK UP.
UM, SO CAUSE I HAVEN'T TALKED TO, UH, A FRIEND AT HARD GRAY ABOUT THIS AND THEY, YOU KNOW, HARD GRADES LOOKED AT IT OR WHATEVER.
AND LIKE YOU SAID, THEY KIND OF DETERMINED.
IT'S NOT, COST-EFFECTIVE BECAUSE OF THE COST PER YOU KNOW, A FOOT OF CABLE VERSUS HOW MANY HOUSES YOU HAVE AND HOW SPREAD OUT THEY ARE.
SO WOULD THEY BE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO RUN FIBER ALL THE WAY TO THE HOUSE.
THEY'RE PROBABLY RUNNING FIBER TO LIKE A CENTRAL LOCATION AND THEN HAVING, ARE THEY GOING TO TRY AND USE THE COPPER WIRE DSL TO CONNECT TO THE FIBER? UH, THAT'S CORRECT.
THE LAST MILE WILL MORE THAN LIKELY BE STILL ON A COPPER PLANT.
SO WHAT KIND OF SPEED WOULD THAT GIVE THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD ON THAT PLAN? UM, IT WOULD BE AROUND FIVE MEGS UP AND 25 MEGS DOWN.
SO IT WOULD SUPPORT MOST OF OUR VIDEO CONFERENCING TECHNOLOGIES AND THE DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS USE.
UM, THIS SEEMS LIKE THE HORIZON IS A LONG WAY OFF, SO I KNOW WE'RE ALL IMPATIENT, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS JUST THE WAY IT IS.
IT, I'M SURPRISED COPPER IS GOING TO BE SUFFICIENT, BUT IF YOU SAY IT AS MARCO, I'LL TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT.
FAMILY THING, YOU KNOW, I, I HAD SOME EXPERIENCE WITH HUGHES NET AND, UH, I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF THE SATELLITE, UH, RELIABILITY.
IF I COULD COMMENT ON THAT A LITTLE BIT.
UM, THE HUGHESNET USED A OLD, UH, TECHNOLOGY, THEIR SATELLITES WERE AT 150 MILES AND GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT.
SO THE DOWNLOAD SPEED, THE DOWNLOAD WAS QUICK, BUT YOUR UPLOAD WAS STILL ON A COPPER CONNECTION GOING TO A SUBSTATION TO THE BEAM BACK UP TO THE SATELLITE.
UM, AND THAT WAS THE BIGGEST DOWNFALL.
ALSO BEING IN THE GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT.
YOU HAD A LOT MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE REFRESH OF REFRACTION FROM CLOUDS AND TRUE, UM, OTHER, UM, ASTROL ASTROLOGICAL BASED, UH, PHENOMENON, UM, WITH THE LOW BASED, UH, LOW EARTH ORBIT BASED OF, UM, STARLINK, THEY HAVE FOUND METHODS TO GET AROUND THAT AND INCREASE BANDWIDTH.
THE BANDWIDTH FOR THE STARLINK PROGRAM IS LOOKING TO BE ABOUT 110 TO 112 MEGS DOWN AND ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 25 MEGS UP.
SO IT'S ABOUT FOUR TO FIVE TIMES THE CAPABILITIES OF A DSL PLANT.
[00:15:01]
YOU.I WAS JUST GOING TO RESPOND A LITTLE BIT.
I MEAN, I HAD HUGHESNET AS WELL, AND I THINK STARLING'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT, UH, PROPOSAL, BUT I THINK IT'S STILL A FAIR WAYS OFF BEFORE IT BECOMES SOMETHING THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AN EVERYDAY PLAN FOR PEOPLE.
BUT I LIKE THE SEC, THE, THE, THE IDEA OF USING THE COPPER, BECAUSE WE KIND OF ABANDONED THE DSL INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, A WHILE AGO.
AND BECAUSE WE HAVE THE, BUT FOR A RURAL ORGANIZATION, IF THEY, HOW FAST DO YOU THINK THEY COULD RUN THE FIBER OUT TO THESE NODES? I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD TAKE THAT LONG.
I DON'T THINK IT'S THAT FAR OFF, UM, AND THEIR ESTIMATIONS, BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE KIND OF CHERRY PICKING AREAS.
THEY'RE STILL EXPECTING AN EIGHT TO 12 MONTH, UH, INSTALLATION TIME.
SO, UM, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, IT'S GENERALLY 18 MONTHS TO 24 MONTHS OUT WHEN A COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, UM, PLANS NEW PLANT DESIGN.
SO THEY'D HAVE TO BUILD PLANT FIRST.
I MEAN, THEY'RE GOING TO DO THAT HERE FIRST.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? OKAY.
IT'S JUST THE BEN THE BASICALLY WE'D HAVE ALL THAT INFRASTRUCTURE.
ANYONE WHO HAS A PHONE LINE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET ON BOARD, RIGHT.
I'M GOING TO BATTERY POINT BATTERY POINT WAS STARTED IN 1995.
UH, WE HAVE FIBER OUT TO ROBERT SMALLS AND WE HAVE COPPER FROM ROBERT OR SMALLS INTO OUR SUBDIVISION.
UH, MY SUBDIVISION HAS A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING FROM HOME.
I AM AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE YESTERDAY DURING THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, I BARELY COULD KEEP THEM ABREAST OF THE ZOOM TO THAT.
SO, UH, AND I HAD GOT, I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE HEARTBREAK FOR 200 MINUTES.
I HAVEN'T GOTTEN 200 METERS YET.
AND RIGHT NOW I'VE BEEN PULLING ME 20, 25 MINUTES BECAUSE ALL THE I'VE GOT THE DUAL, DUAL WIRE COMING INTO MY HOUSE.
AND IT'S BECAUSE THE PIPE BETWEEN ROBERT SMALLS AND MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS JUST OVERWHELMED.
SO I HAVE, I, THERE'S NOT AS MUCH OF A PROBLEM PERHAPS OUT IN THE RURAL AREAS, BUT THERE IS STILL A PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE, STUDENTS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD BEING ABLE TO ZOOM AND THE BANDWIDTH REQUIRED FOR THAT UNTIL WE GET THE FIBER TO THE HOME.
SO IT'S NOT JUST A RURAL ISSUE, BUT IT'S ALSO HIGH.
CAN I IMAGINE WHAT A HEAVY SUBURB AREAS IN BLUFFTON ARE LIKE AS FAR AS USAGE? I DON'T KNOW IF, IF THEY'RE ALREADY FIBER TO THE HOUSE, I DOUBT IT, BUT THAT'S AN ISSUE.
OH, THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT CHANGES THE FOCUS, UM, FROM RURAL UNDERSERVED AREAS TO AREAS THAT HAVE INSUFFICIENT BANDWIDTH.
UM, RIGHT NOW I THINK WE'RE FOCUSED ON THE RURAL UNDERSERVED AREAS, BUT, UH, IS THERE WHEN WE GET, WHEN WE GOT THOSE, UM, STATISTICS FROM BARN RAY AND THE OTHER PROVIDERS THAT SHOWED US WHERE THEY WERE, THEY WEREN'T SERVING.
I THINK THEY TOLD US WHERE THEY WEREN'T SERVING, BUT WE COULDN'T ASK THE PEOPLE, BUT ARE VERY GOOD.
TELL US, UM, WAS THERE AN ISSUE IN, IN BLUFFTON OR, UH, OTHER AREAS WE KNOW WHALE BRANCH, WE KNOW IT WILL BE CALLED.
WE KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S WRONG.
BUT TO, TO DICK'S POINT, ARE THERE POCKETS IN POPULATED AREAS THAT ARE ALSO DEFICIENT? UM, YES, SIR.
THERE ARE, UM, EVEN ON LADY'S ISLAND, UM, LADIES ISLAND WAS FORMALLY A OLD US CABLE, UM, PLANT, WHICH WAS ONLY A 550 MEGAHERTZ PLANT, WHICH WAS BOUGHT OUT BY COMCAST.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE EMO FOR MOST OF THE BIG COMPANIES IS THEY BUY THAT SMALL PLANT AND THEY START GENERATING REVENUE FROM IT.
UM, IT SERVED LADY'S ISLAND OKAY.
BUT AS, UH, LADY'S ISLAND CONTINUES TO GROW AND ADD SUBDIVISIONS, THEY ARE STARTING TO TAX THE BANDWIDTH CAPABLE FROM THAT, THAT MEGAHERTZ PLANT AND ARE
[00:20:01]
GOING TO NEED SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES.AND THAT INFRASTRUCTURE ALSO IN THE FUTURE.
THAT SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF OUR PURVIEW THOUGH.
UM, I'M NOT SURE ANYBODY CAN STEP IN AND TO, TO ALLEVIATE THAT ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S A PRIVATE BUSINESS.
ALTHOUGH I THINK THE PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO DO THAT, BUT, UM, I KNOW THAT'S DIFFICULT.
ALL RIGHT, MR. SMITH, UH, THE QUESTION SAID, WE DEFINITELY DO HAVE SOME LITTLE POCKETS ON SAY HELENA AND, UH, AND THEN I WAS GONNA SAY, AT LEAST I WAS WELL, BUT HE SAID, BUT YEAH, PLEASE I'LL ANSWER.
WE HAVE THOSE POCKETS WHERE IN THE INTERNET IS DEFINITELY HARD TO GET OR ALMOST INCREDIBLE TO GET IN CERTAIN AREAS.
UM, WE HAVE A RECOMMENDED MOTION HERE, MRS. CROSBY JUST PUT OUR HANDS UP.
I COULDN'T FIND MY I'M RAISING MY ELECTRONIC CAM FAST ENOUGH.
UM, JUST WANT TO MAKE ONE LAST POINT, ANOTHER OBSTACLE OR AN OBSTACLE THAT WE FOUND RECENTLY, WE ATTEMPTED TO PULL DATA STUDENT DATA, UM, AND DID ON, UM, UNDERSERVED HOMES BASICALLY IN OUR REGISTRATION THIS YEAR, THERE WAS A QUESTION.
DO YOU HAVE INTERNET SERVICE? YES OR NO.
UM, AS WE REGISTERED OUR STUDENTS, I KNOW THAT BECAUSE I HAVE A CHILD IN OUR HIGH, ONE OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS AND, UM, ALSO WE HAVE POVERTY DATA IN POWER SCHOOL.
UM, OUR DATA SERVICES FOLKS WERE ABLE TO PULL THAT DATA, BUT THE PROBLEM IS WE CANNOT SHARE THAT DATA WITH ANYONE OTHER THAT THERE BY FERPA LAWS, THE FEDERAL EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PROTECTION ACT WOULD NOT SHARE THAT DATA WITH COUNTY OR MUNICIPALITY OR, UM, OUTSIDE OFFICIALS.
SO THAT'S ONE, UH, WE CAN, THEY CAN SHARE INFORMATION WITH US AND WE CAN UTILIZE THAT, MAYBE PINPOINT AREAS.
BUT SO THAT IS ANOTHER LITTLE HURDLE WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH AS WE IDENTIFY AREAS, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT.
WE DO HAVE A MAP FROM, UM, ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF HILTON HEAD, THERE ARE POCKETS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY, UM, WHETHER IT BE BLUFFTON TO SHELDON, TO ST.
HELENA, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY THAT DO HAVE UNDER UNDERSERVED AREAS.
SO, UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU ALL KNOW SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ENCOUNTERED AS, AS WE HAVE BEGUN TO LOOK THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
SO DID YOU CALL MY NAME? OKAY.
GOT REALLY QUIET FOR A SECOND.
UM, I'M GONNA MAKE THE MOTION HERE, BUT ALSO RESPONDING TO WHAT TONY SAID.
I THINK THE OTHER THING IS FOR THIS ALWAYS 1711, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE THING.
THE OTHER PIECE OF THIS IS THERE, YOU KNOW, WELL, BRANCH, THERE'S AN ACTUAL ACCESS HILTON HAD, I'M SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS ACCESS, BUT WHETHER OR NOT WHO'S PAYING THE BILL, WHO'S ACTUALLY LIKE PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, DOES THE INTERNET, DOES THE HOME HAVE INTERNET? THAT'S THE SECOND QUESTION.
SO, UM, BUT I'M PREPARED TO MAKE THIS MOTION BECAUSE I'M GOING TO READ IT.
I FEEL REALLY CONFIDENT ABOUT IT.
I MOVED AT THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE RECOMMEND TO THE FULL BOARD TO ACCEPT OH 1711 TITLED ENSURE CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT WITH TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS FOR BROADBAND EXPANSION, ALL IN FAVOR.
SO THAT'LL GO ON THEIR CONSENT AGENDA.
BACKUP UPDATE ON COMPUTER LABS.
UM, THIS IS A FOCAL POINT FOR JACK AND I GUESS MARK, YOU'RE GOING TO, YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS ONE.
UM, IN I'M SORRY ABOUT THE NAMING SCHEME I USED, I USED OUR INTERNAL NAMING SCHEME.
AND JUST TO KIND OF LET YOU, UH, HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW IT'S LAID OUT THE FIRST IDENTIFYING LETTER SIGNIFIES EITHER AN ACADEMY SCHOOL FOR RIVER RIDGE OR ROBERT SMALLS, THE D SIGNIFIES A DISTRICT OFFICE LOCATION FOR THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND ADULT ED.
UM, EASE FOR ELEMENTARY, M'S FOR MIDDLE AND H'S FOR HIGH SCHOOL.
THE REASON WE USE THIS AS WE ADD THIS NAME AND CLUTCHER TO ALL OF OUR ASSETS.
AND THAT WAY WE CAN TELL VERY QUICKLY IF WE HAVE AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UM, ASSET THAT ENDS UP IN
[00:25:01]
A MIDDLE SCHOOL OR A HIGH SCHOOL.UM, SO IT JUST VERY EASILY HELPS US WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ACTIVE DIRECTORY AND SOME OF THE SYSTEMS WE USE.
THE REASON I ASKED FOR THIS IS, AS I WALKED THROUGH THE SCHOOLS, I SEE EMPTY COMPUTER CLASSROOMS. UH, TO ME, THESE ARE DINOSAURS.
THIS IS WHAT WE STARTED OUT WHEN WE WERE THINKING ABOUT CLASSROOM 21 BACK IN THE NINETIES.
AND NOW THAT WE HAVE THE ONE-TO-ONE DEVICES, I WONDER WHY WE CAN HAVE THESE LABS AND WHAT UTILITY WE GET OUT OF THESE LABS.
AND SHOULD WE KEEP UPGRADING THESE LABS? THAT'S THE REASON THAT I BROUGHT THIS UP, IT'S A SPACE ISSUE AND IT'S A UTILITY ISSUE FOR ME.
UM, SOME OF THE MAIN REASONS WE MAINTAIN LABS STILL IS BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, APPLICATIONS THAT CANNOT BE RUN ON A STUDENT, UH, DESKTOP.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS WE DON'T WANT TO PAY THE MASERATI PRICE FOR SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BE USED AS A HONDA ACCORD MOST OF THE TIME.
SO, AND, UH, FOR ONE, UM, FOR ONE EXAMPLE, UM, OR I GUESS OUR BIGGEST EXAMPLE AND MAINLY ARE HIGH SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS WOULD BE OUR PROJECT LEAD THE WAY AND CAKE PROGRAMS. THESE ARE VERY HIGH END AUTO CAD PROGRAMS, PHOTOSHOP PROGRAMS, UM, AND THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF COMPUTER POWER.
UM, THE GOOD THING ABOUT THE COST OF THESE PROGRAMS IS THEY'RE BEING FUNDED BY, UM, STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS.
SO IT'S NOT A COST TO THE DISTRICT TO REFRESH THE EQUIPMENT IN THESE LABS.
UM, ANOTHER WAY WE USE THEM, ESPECIALLY IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS TO HELP DEVELOP THE, UM, COMPUTER PROCESS.
THEY USE THEM FOR A LOT OF OUR LEGO LABS, UM, WHERE THEY BUILD LEGO ROBOTICS, VEX, ROBOTICS, AND THESE PROGRAMS ARE RUN ON EITHER WINDOWS OR ANDROID SYSTEMS TO HELP ENGAGE THE KIDS AND, UM, FUTURE LEARNING.
WE HAVE MADE A STRONG EFFORT TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF LABS.
UM, I COULD SAY, UH, JUST FOR ONE SCHOOL, UH, TO BRING OUT WOULD BE, UH, BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL, UH, LESS THAN FIVE YEARS AGO, THEY HAD 16 LABS.
SO IT'S BEEN A CONSCIOUS EFFORT THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH INSTRUCTION AND THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION TO HELP REPURPOSE THESE LABS AND LET THE SCHOOLS KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF THAT CAN BE DONE ON THE STUDENT'S, UH, LAPTOP.
AND YOU DON'T NEED THESE LABS FOR AS MANY PROGRAMS ONLY FOR SOME SPECIALIZED APPLICATIONS.
I MEAN, WHAT MARK IS SAYING, YOU'RE HAVING KIDS IN THE SCHOOL, MY SON'S GOING TO BE IN THAT PROJECT LEAD THE WAY COMPUTER PROGRAM.
I THINK PART OF IT IS THOUGH IT'S ALMOST A NAMING PROBLEM BECAUSE IN MY MIND I SEE THEM AS TECHNOLOGY LABS.
I MEAN, WE COULD DO 3D PRINTING, WE COULD DO COMPUTER REPAIR AND TECHNOLOGY.
I THINK THAT THE IDEA THAT THIS IS A COMPUTER LAB WHERE YOU COME AND GET YOUR LITTLE DOT MATRIX PRINTER TO PRINT OUT YOUR READING ASSIGNMENT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST SORT OF REBRAND THEM A LITTLE BIT.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, FOR THIS YEAR, YOU KNOW, CALL THEM LIKE TECHNOLOGY LABS OR GOOGLE MAKER HAS A GREAT PROGRAM.
I DON'T, DO WE HAVE ANY GOOGLE MAKERSPACES IN, UH, IN THE SCHOOLS, BUT YOU KNOW, MARK, UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY, OH, CALLING, SORRY, MY EARS ARE UP, NOT GOOGLE SPECIFIC.
THERE ARE SOME MEDIA CENTERS AND SOME PLACES THAT HAVE BEEN IN SOME MAKER SPACES, BUT NOT GOOGLE SPECIFIC.
I WOULD JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, MAKE HER LAB IDEA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD PROBABLY GIVE PEOPLE A BETTER IDEA.
AND IT MAKES US SOUND A LITTLE MORE FORWARD THINKING.
WE DO HAVE, UM, A LOT OF SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE DIFFERENT, UM, MAKER LABS, UM, AND GETTING THEIR KIDS INTO, UM, USING THESE, UM, ADVANCED PRINTING PROCESSES.
UM, ONE THING WE HAVE BEEN HESITANT TO RELEASE IT TO SOME OF THE SCHOOLS THAT'S REQUESTED IS THE LASERS.
UM, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT SCARY TO HAVE THE LASERS AND A STUDENT SETTING.
UM, I IS FIRES, UM, AND JUST THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THEY PUT THE WRONG MATERIAL UNDER THIS LASER.
IT WILL GIVE OFF, UM, HAZARDOUS FUMES IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FUME HOOD ABOVE IT.
SO WE HAVE REALLY, UM, KIND OF BEEN HESITANT TO LET
[00:30:01]
ANY BURNING OR LASERS INTO OUR SCHOOLS WHEN I GO BACK TO DICK.AND DOES THIS SATISFY WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR DICK OR IS THERE A NEXT STEP, DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD TAKE? WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME DATA ON USAGE BECAUSE WHEN I WALKED THROUGH THE SCHOOLS AND WITH THE PRINCIPAL, I SAID, HOW MUCH DOES THIS USED? AND I GET THE, UM, EDUCATORS SALUTED, YOU KNOW, I DON'T REALLY KNOW, UH, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE VERY MUCH, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD WHEN I STARTED, UH, IN THIS BUSINESS, UH, PUTTING IN CLASSROOM 21, I WAS THROWING AWAY, YOU GOT TO HAVE THIS BECAUSE LAPTOPS WILL NEVER BE CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING THE KINDS OF PROGRAMS THAT THESE DESKTOPS, UH, AND FULL VCS WILL BE ABLE TO, TO, UH, USE.
UH, MAYBE WE NEED MORE CASE, SOME MORE CAPABLE LAPTOPS FOR THESE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS TAKING HIGHER LEVEL, UH, CLASSES, HIGHER DEMAND TECHNOLOGY DEMAND.
IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT, THAT I SEE A CLASSROOM IS EMPTY.
I LIKE TO SEE CLASSROOMS THAT ARE EMPTY.
UH, THAT CAUSES ME PROBLEMS WHEN I TALK TO CONSTITUENTS ABOUT ARE, UH, CAPACITY ISSUES.
SO, UM, I THINK I'D NEED TO SEE A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ON, ON USE A NUMBER OF HOURS, NUMBER OF TIMES, UH, THAT EACH, EACH, UH, COMPUTER IN THE LAB GETS USED.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT KIND OF USE DATA TO SAY, OKAY, YEAH, WE DEFINITELY HAVE A USE.
AND, UH, IT'S A COST EFFECTIVE.
AND THEN I WOULD BE CONVINCED RIGHT NOW AND I SEE THAT SOME SCHOOLS STILL HAVE SIX.
SOME SCHOOLS HAVE FIVE, SOME SCHOOLS HAD ONE, SOME MIDDLE SCHOOLS I'M TALKING, THERE'S NO MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH ONE THERE'S A MIDDLE SCHOOL WITH FOUR, THERE WAS A MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS ZERO.
I SCHOOL WITH FIVE HIGH SCHOOL WAS SIX HIGH SCHOOL WITH ONE, UH, THIS DATA CAUSES ME SOME QUESTIONS.
MARK, IS THAT DOABLE TO DO THE METERING? AND, UM, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, BREAK THAT DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
USAGE, SAS, INGRID KIDS, OR, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST GOING TO COMMENT.
KIDS ARE GOING BACK TO DESKTOPS.
IF YOU'RE A HIGH END GAMER, YOU DON'T DO IT ON A LAPTOP.
YOU'RE DOING ON DESKTOPS AND KIDS ARE BUILDING THEIR OWN DESKTOPS, WHICH I THINK IS A PRETTY COOL THING.
SO I THINK THAT THERE ARE THINGS THE WAY MY KIDS USE THEM AND I HAVE TO IN COLLEGE, THEY DON'T WANT TO SPEND A BUNCH OF MONEY ON A LAPTOP.
HEY, CAUSE SOMEONE CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKE IT, UM, BE THAT EVERYTHING'S CLOUD-BASED.
SO ALL THEY'RE LOOKING FOR TO DEVICE IS A DEVICE TO ACCESS, YOU KNOW, THEIR DAY-TO-DAY STUFF IN THE CLOUD, BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO HIGH END GAMING OR CAD DESIGN OR PHOTOSHOP, YOU REALLY, I THINK THAT HAVING A COMPUTER LAB AND HAVING THE KIDS BEING ABLE TO LIKE BUILD AND TAKE APART, WE HAVE TWO $12 MILLION, NOT TWO $12 MILLION GRANTS WITH TWO PROGRAMS, BIOMEDICAL, I THINK.
AND, UM, CYBERSECURITY, AM I, AM I REMEMBERING THAT CORRECTLY? YOU KNOW, THOSE COMPUTER LABS WILL BE GREAT FOR THAT FOR KIDS TO GO IN AND, AND, AND DO THAT KIND OF WORK.
I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT WE CAN RUN A REALLY SUCCESSFUL CYBERSECURITY OUT OF HP 360, BUT I DON'T KNOW.
MAYBE MARK CAN ANSWER THAT, BUT I, I, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT USAGE AND SMART USAGE, BUT I DEFINITELY THINK THERE'S STILL A PATH FORWARD FOR COMPUTER LABS IN THE SCHOOLS.
I WOULD DEFINITELY AGREE WITH MS. VOTE, RIGHT.
AND FOR OUR CATE PROGRAM, WE HAVE GOTTEN AWAY FROM THE DESKTOPS FOR SOME OF THE MORE HIGH END ZEBA LAPTOPS.
UM, JUST FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THEY CAN BRING THEM OUT AND MOVE AROUND, UM, A LAB OR A DIFFERENT AREA AS THEY'RE WORKING ON PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE CATE AREAS.
UM, IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO LOCK THOSE IN A, UH, LAPTOP CABINET AT THE END OF THE DAY TO BETTER SECURE THEM.
SO THE NEXT STEP I THINK, IS TO GET THAT USAGE DATA AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL LOOK AND SEE IF WE HAVE SOMETHING OBVIOUS JUMP OUT FROM THAT, THAT WE CAN ACT ON IS YOU'RE GOOD WITH THAT DAY.
[00:35:01]
PRINTERS.SO MULTI-FUNCTIONING PRINTERS ARE THE DIRECTION THAT THE DISTRICT WANTS TO GO IN THE FUTURE.
UM, THEY HAVE BEEN OUR STEPS FOR THE LAST PROBABLY FIVE YEARS.
UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTERS.
UH, WE HAVE A LOT MORE CONTROLS ON WHAT'S BEING PRINTED, UM, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT REPORTS ON WHO'S BEEN PRINTING TO EVEN MEET HER, OUR USERS.
SO SOME PRINCIPALS SAY, OKAY, YOU'RE ALLOWED THIS MUCH BUDGET A MONTH OF PRINTING.
UM, ONE OF OUR BIGGEST THINGS WE'VE TRIED TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS IS TO STOP KILLING TREES AND MOVE INTO THE DIGITAL AGE.
ALL OF OUR STUDENTS USE GOOGLE DRIVE.
THEY USE MICROSOFT, THEY, WE HAVE OUR OWN SAND STORAGE.
UM, IT'S JUST SO EASY NOW TO MOVE THAT DATA ELECTRONICALLY, THAT WE DON'T REALLY NEED TO TAKE THE TIME TO PRINT.
UM, AND SOME OF THAT IS A ECOSYSTEM THING.
UM, SOME PEOPLE JUST LIKE TO HOLD THE PIECE OF PAPER IN THEIR HANDS, UM, AND SLOWLY WE'RE BRINGING THEM AROUND.
UM, BUT WE DO STILL HAVE SOME USE CASES FOR ONE-OFF PRINTERS AND AREAS.
UM, SOME OF THE BIG THINGS, UH, EVERY BUILDING, YOUR BOOKKEEPER, YOUR DATA SPECIALIST, YOUR NURSE, YOUR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR, UM, SOME OF YOUR OFFICE MANAGERS.
THESE ARE POSITIONS THAT HANDLE A LOT OF, UH, PII, PERSONAL IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.
UM, AND THEY DON'T REALLY WANT THAT SITTING ON A PRINTER NOW WITH OUR MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTERS, THEY DO NOT PRINT OUT THE WHATEVER YOU SEND TO THEM IMMEDIATELY.
YOU HAVE TO WALK UP TO THEM AND BADGE SWIPE, BUT STILL SOME PEOPLE FEEL THAT SOME OF THAT DATA, EVEN IF THEY'RE SITTING THERE AND THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, THEY DON'T WANT IT TO BE SEEN.
UM, SOME OF THAT IS ALSO FOR WHEN IEP MEETINGS AND ITEMS LIKE THAT ARE BEING HAILED DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE PRINTED UP FOR THE PARENTS WHILE THEY'RE THERE.
UM, SO THAT'S SOME OF THE USE CASES WE USE AND MUCH LIKE JUST TALKING ABOUT, UM, CAN WE JUSTIFY ALL OF THESE PRINTERS BY USAGE BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE METERS ON ALL THE PRINTERS.
SO, UM, FOR THE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL ONES, WE DEFINITELY CAN, THE WAY WE SPREAD THOSE OUT WAS ON AN EQUITY BASED, DEPENDING ON HOW BIG THE SCHOOL AND HOW THE SCHOOL WAS LAID OUT.
SO THAT BASICALLY EACH WING HAD A COPY ROOM OR A TEACHER WORK ROOM THAT THESE WOULD BE HOUSED IN WHERE IT GETS HARDER TO QUANTIFY.
IT IS, UM, WITH SOME OF THE STANDALONE SMALLER NETWORK PRINTERS.
UM, WE WENT THROUGH A PHASE AND THE TWO THOUSANDS AND EARLY TEENS WHERE IN NEW CONSTRUCTION, THE IDEA WAS TO PUT A PRINTER IN EVERY CLASSROOM OR IN THE WORK ROOM BETWEEN TWO CLASSROOMS. UM, WE QUICKLY FOUND OUT THAT THAT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE AND NOT REALLY A WAY WE WANT TO GO FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, BUT ONE THING WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS THAT IF WE HAVE THESE DEVICES THAT ARE STILL FUNCTIONAL AND WE ARE STILL ABOUT SUPPLIES STORED FOR THEM, WE WOULD LET THE SCHOOLS USE OUT THAT TONER AND THAT SUPPLIES, AS LONG AS THE DEVICE STILL WORKS, WE OWN THE DEVICE.
SO IT'S PRETTY MUCH A WIN-WIN.
NOW WHEN IT BREAKS, IT'S OUT THE DOOR.
A COUPLE OF ISSUES THAT I HAD IN MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE PRINTERS AND I WENT TO A COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND WE HAD A PRINTER ISSUES.
I LOOKED AT IT AND FOUND OUT THAT WE HAD A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT VENDORS PROVIDING PRINTERS.
UM, I WENT OUT AND DID A COMPETITIVE PROCESS WITH MULTIPLE VENDORS DO TO HANDLE ALL THE PRINTERS.
AND I WAS ABLE TO SAVE ALMOST 30% MY COST OF FRINGERS BY DOING THAT, BY COMBINING THEM INTO ONE, UH, ONE VENDOR AND, UH, HAD THEY COMPETED THE VENDORS COMPETED BY COSTS AND MY, UH, TECHNOLOGY.
THAT WAS NUMBER ONE SECOND THING.
I FOUND OUT THAT MANY OF THE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL PRINTERS WERE BEING MISUSED BY TEACHERS THAT WERE COPYING COPYRIGHT MATERIAL AND PASSING IT OUT IN THE CLASS.
AND IF YOU WANT, REALLY WANT TO GET INTO TROUBLE, UH, VIOLATE COPYRIGHTS WILL GET YOU THERE.
SO, UH, COMPUTER PRINTER CONTROLS ARE ALSO
[00:40:01]
ESSENTIAL.AND IF YOU HAVE A PRINTER IN A CLASSROOM AND YOU BASICALLY WILL HAVE ONE PERSON WITH MAYBE A SWIPE CARD TO BE ABLE TO AUTHORIZE IT, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CONTROL OVER WHAT'S PRINTED.
UH, THE PAPER COSTS ARE TREMENDOUS.
THE INK COSTS ARE ALSO COULD BE SIGNIFICANT.
WHEN I LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF PRINTERS THAT WE HAVE, UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO HEAR FROM MARK ON WHAT HE DOES TO MANAGE COSTS AND MANAGE, UH, THE, UH, THE USE IT'S EXTREMELY HARD.
AND YOUR STATEMENTS ARE EXACTLY THE REASONS WHY WE'VE BEEN MOVING AWAY FROM THE STANDALONE PRINTERS.
UM, YOU WOULD COME INTO A BUILDING AND SEE A STACK OF FLYERS FOR A LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION BEING PRINTED ON THE PRINTERS AND DIFFERENT ITEMS LIKE THAT.
UM, THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS FOR THE PUSH FOR THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL PRINTERS AND THE MORE CONTROL WITH PAPERCUT.
CAUSE IT'S VERY EASY TO SEE THAT X USER JUST PRINTED OFF 200 SHEETS OF A DOCUMENT.
UM, ANOTHER GOOD THING ABOUT THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL IS THE SECURITY ASPECT, THE HARD DRIVES, AND THESE COMPUTERS ARE ENCRYPTED.
SO EVEN IF THE DEVICE WAS TO BE STOLEN OR TAKEN FROM OUR BUILDINGS, ANY PRINT, UM, SPOOL DATA THAT WAS STILL ON THAT DEVICE IS NOT DISCERNIBLE.
UM, AND IT'S A SECURE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT WITH OUR OLDER ONES.
ANOTHER GOOD THING ABOUT OUR MULTI-FUNCTION ONES IS WE DO HAVE A CONTRACT WITH SHARP AND ANYTIME THERE'S ANY FIRMWARE UPDATES, THEIR ENGINEERS COME IN AND DO THEM.
THEY ALSO COME IN AND DO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE ON THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY HARD TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE A, ON THE NETWORK PRINTER SIDE THAT WE'RE DOWN TO ABOUT 600 NOW, BUT, UH, THAT'S A LOT OF CYCLES BY TECHNICIANS TO GO CHECK THEM, WORK ON THEM WHEN THEY HAVE JAMS AND MALFUNCTIONS AND DO THE NECESSARY UPDATES TO KEEP THEM NETWORK BUYABLE.
AND A, UH, FURTHER QUESTIONS OR IS THERE A NEXT STEP ON THIS, THE DISTRICT SIDE, WE ARE STEADILY WORKING TO CONTINUE TO REDUCE THAT NUMBER PER SITE, AS THESE DEVICES COME OUT A DAY, OR EITHER FIRMWARE UPDATES ARE NO LONGER MADE FOR THEM, YOU WOULD HAVE AN ARM OF THIS CONTRACT OR YOUR PRINTERS, OR DO YOU HAVE MULTIPLE VENDORS FOR THE PRINTERS? THEY HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE VENDORS OVER THE YEARS FOR THE MFPS.
WE DO HAVE A CONTRACT WITH SHARP, SO IT'S A ONE-STOP SHOP.
UM, AND THEY ALSO CARRY OUR HP.
UM, PLOTTERS MOST OF OUR SCHOOLS MAINTAIN A POSTER PRINTER AND THEIR MEDIA CENTER FOR THE SCHOOL.
SO THAT IS ALSO ON OUR SHARP CONTRACT AND THEY WILL MAINTAIN THOSE DEVICES ALSO.
SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE ONLY NEXT STEP WOULD BE IN THE FUTURE.
I DON'T KNOW, NEXT YEAR, MAYBE SIX MONTHS, YOU'D GIVE US AN UPDATE ON OUR, HOW WE'RE DOING, GETTING RID OF THE, OF THE DINOSAURS.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING I SEE, UNLESS, UNLESS THING RIVER OR DICK HAVE, UH, SOMETHING ELSE, UM, WE'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SITE.
AND THIS IS INGRID'S FOCUS, THE CONNECT TO LEARN DEVICE CONTRACT.
UM, AND DO YOU WANT TO TEE THIS UP, INGRID? I THINK YOU HAVE SOMETHING SPECIFIC THAT YOU WERE FOCUSED ON.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO ME BY A NUMBER OF PARENTS OF HOW ONE OF THE, I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT OFF THE FRONT.
THE ONE OF THE MAIN QUESTIONS IS THAT I THINK IT'S $635.
ACCORDING TO THAT, I HAD NOT SEEN THE CONNECTION LEARN HANDBOOK BEFORE, SO THAT WAS GOOD.
AND I JUST REGISTERED MY CHILD THIS YEAR.
I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE, DO WE HAVE AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THAT SOMEWHERE? THAT'S EASY TO FIND IT'S ON OUR WEBPAGE UNDER, UM, OUR CONNECT TO LEARN DOCUMENTS UNDER FAMILIES AND STUDENTS.
UM, SO ON THAT, ON THAT DOCUMENT, IT SAID IT WAS $635 TO REPLACE THE G FIVE AND I THINK 5 91 TO REPLACE A G ONE.
IF YOU GO ON AMAZON, YOU CAN GET A G FIVE FOR THREE 20.
UM, AND THEN ADDITION TO WHICH SOME OF THE REPAIR COSTS ARE A LOT HIGHER THAN YOU WOULD HAVE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO MY THOUGHT WAS WE MAYBE HAD A CONTRACT WITH HP THAT BASICALLY DID
[00:45:01]
THIS, OR IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IF SOMEONE HAS AN ISSUE WITH THE COMPUTER, THEY CAN TAKE IT TO A THIRD PARTY AND HAVE IT REPAIRED OR REPLACED, YOU KNOW, ORDERED OFF AMAZON.UM, AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE MAINTAIN AN ACCIDENTAL, UM, DEVICE WITH, UM, HP.
SO IF ANY OTHER THIRD-PARTY REPAIRER WAS TO TOUCH THAT DEVICE, IT WOULD VOID ALL WARRANTY.
AND WE DO LIST THAT IN OUR CONNECT TO LEARN DOCUMENTS, UM, WE HAVE HAD PARENTS TRY TO TAKE THEM APART AND FIX THEM, THEIR SELF.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST VALUES WE GET IS THIS IS NOT A CONSUMER GRADE PERIPHERAL.
THIS IS A DEVICE THAT HAS BEEN PURPOSELY BUILT FOR THE K-12 INDUSTRY.
SO IT'S HAD HARDENED FACTORS AND A LOT OF THE CORNERS, A LOT OF THE AREAS, A LOT OF THE COMPONENTS INSIDE OF IT.
UM, WE GET THAT QUESTION A LOT FROM FAMILIES.
HEY, I CAN GO TO WALMART AND BUY A $350, $400 COMPUTER, AND YOU CAN, UM, BUT, UH, I GUARANTEE YOU, IF YOU DO THE STANDARD FIVE FOOT DROP TEST, UM, YOU WON'T HAVE AS GOOD OF RESULTS FROM THAT DEVICE AS YOU WOULD FROM THESE HARDENED DEVICES THAT WE BUY FROM DELL OR HP OR WHOEVER.
SO WE CONTRACT WITH THEM AND THEY PROVIDE THOSE DEVICES TO US BECAUSE WE'RE K THROUGH 12, OR IS THAT JUST SOMETHING YOU'VE? HOW DOES THAT, UM, ALL OF THESE VENDORS ARE LISTED ON STATE CONTRACT.
SO WHAT WE DO IS WHEN WE GET READY TO BUY NEW DEVICES, WE REACH OUT TO ALL THE MAJOR VENDORS AND THEY DO PROVIDE PRICING THAT IS UNDER STATE CONTRACT BECAUSE OF A BIG PURCHASE BY, BUT SOME OF THE KEY THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD LOOK AT IS ALSO OUR SERVICE AND WARRANTY PROCESSES.
UM, WE'VE HAD CERTAIN VENDORS, UM, THAT SAID THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO TAKE OUR BUSINESS AND GIVE US, YOU KNOW, FIVE, $10 CHEAPER ON A DEVICE, BUT THEN WE, THEY WOULD NOT SUPPLY, UM, TECHNICIANS TO BE IN OUR LOCAL AREA OR BE HOUSED CLOSE BY.
SO THEN YOU'RE BOXING UP A DEVICE, YOU'RE MAILING IT OFF.
YOU'RE WAITING TWO WEEKS TO GET IT BACK.
UM, OUR PROCESS NOW IS HP HAS PROVIDED, UM, TWO TECHNICIANS TO RESIDE HERE IN BUFORD COUNTY AND TO FIX OUR DEVICES, UM, DAILY.
SO THEY COME BY OUR SCHOOLS AND PICK UP DEVICES, REPAIR THEM AND THEN BRING THEM BACK TO SCHOOLS.
SO WE ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK AT THE VALUE ADDS.
WE GET FROM ONE CONTRACT OVER ANOTHER.
SO THE, THERE ARE, THEY DEDICATED TO US THESE TWO HP TECHNICIANS, OR THEY JUST BASICALLY HAVE A COMMITMENT THAT THEY'LL HAVE TECHNICIANS IN THE AREA.
UM, THEY HAVE A COMMITMENT IS THEY'LL HAVE TECHNICIANS.
THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH DEDICATED TO US, BUT I, I CAN'T SAY WHETHER THEY'RE 100%, UM, HOW MANY REPAIRS CAUSE ONE THING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S AN ISSUE.
IF YOU'VE GOT A $635 REPLACEMENT COST, NOT THAT IT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 300.
HOW DO WE HANDLE IT WHEN PEOPLE DON'T HAVE $635? DO WE HAVE A PROCESS FOR THAT? UM, BASICALLY ANY, UM, 81ST REPAIR IS FREE.
SO WITH THE $20 TECHNOLOGY FEE, YOUR FIRST REPAIR IS ALWAYS FREE.
UM, IF THE DEVICE IS STOLEN AND YOU PROVIDE US A POLICE REPORT, YOU WILL GET ONE DEVICE REPLACEMENT A YEAR FREE.
UM, BUT THE ISSUE COMES IN, I GUESS, LIKE YOU SAID, IF SOMEBODY BREAKS MORE THAN ONE DEVICE WITHIN THAT TIME PERIOD, WE DO WORK WITH, UM, PARENTS, UH, IN NEED.
WE PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO PROMISSARY NOTES AND MAKE PAYMENTS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL.
UM, AND SOME PARENTS DO DO THAT, WHERE THEY MAY PAY $5 A WEEK, UM, FOR SO MANY WEEKS TO COVER THE COST OF REPAIRS AND TO PAY DATA'S CREDIT.
LET ME INTERRUPT, MR. SPITS, GOTTA STAND UP AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK.
ALRIGHT, MR. SMITH, THANK YOU.
I'LL PUT WITH, WITH, WITHIN THAT, UH, I HAD A PARENT LAST YEAR TO TELL ME EXACTLY I'M TO, TO THIS YEAR, THAT TWO TERMS IN THERE.
WELL, WE'LL ASK YOU ABOUT PRACTICE AND THE PROCESS OF TURNING THESE COMPUTERS IN AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU BUILD PARENTS FOR ANY, ANY DAMAGES THAT YOU FIND WHAT'S THAT PROCESS LIKE? UM, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE DO A COLLECTION BEFORE THE KIDS LEAVE SCHOOL, AND THAT COULD BE ALL THE WAY UP TO THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL.
UM, AND THESE KIDS ARE TO BRING THE DEVICE BY, WE DO A CHECK-IN AND USUALLY IN OUR MEDIA CENTERS AREAS WHERE THEY'LL GET ON THE LINE AND THEY'LL BRING THEIR DEVICE AND LET IT BE LOOKED AT AT THE TIME IT'S BEING LOOKED AT IT'S ROUGHLY ASSESSED FOR DAMAGES AND THOSE DAMAGES ARE WRITTEN OUT AT THAT TIME.
[00:50:01]
THEY ARE PROVIDED TO THE PARENTS POSSIBLY IN A REPORT CARD, OR EITHER A NOTE IS DEPENDING ON WHEN THE DAMAGE IS AND THAT NOTES COULD BE SENT HOME WITH THE STUDENTS, DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, DO IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.SOME SCHOOLS REQUIRE THAT THE KIDS COME IN AND MEET WITH THE, UH, AP AFTER ANY DAMAGE INCIDENT.
UM, WE HAVE FOUND THAT THIS WORKS WELL.
IT KEEPS THE PARENTS, THE KIDS IN THE LOOP.
UM, CAUSE SOMETIMES WE DO KNOW IF WE HAND THAT PIECE OF PAPER TO A STUDENT, IT MIGHT NOT MAKE IT HOME TO THE PARENTS.
UM, DO Y'ALL HAVE THIS PROCESS WRITTEN OUT ANYWHERE? IS THERE A STANDARD PRACTICE OF THIS PROCESS ANYWHERE? UM, WE BASICALLY DO THE SAME PROCESS EVERY YEAR.
AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE EVALUATING THESE DAMAGES, ANY DAMAGES WE EVALUATE, WE ALSO TAKE PICTURES OF AND UPLOAD WITH OUR WEB HELP DESK TICKETS.
WE HAVE FOUND THIS HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, UM, KIDS CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA OF WHAT INITIALLY HAPPENED.
SO WE MAKE THE KID WRITE OUT A, UM, A FORM OF WHAT THE DAMAGE WAS.
WE COMPARE IT TO THE DAMAGES IN THE PHOTOS AND WE SEE IN PERSON, UH, THE LAST, THE HP REPAIR TECHNICIAN HAS THE FINAL SAY ON IT THOUGH.
THEY WILL SAY WHETHER IT'S WITHIN WARRANTY OR NOT.
WE'VE HAD THE DEVICES THAT WERE SHOT WITH BB GUNS, UM, DEVICES THAT WERE RAN OVER TWICE, UM, WHO WANTED ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE REPAIRS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT IS NEGLECT AND THAT WOULD BE AT THE COST OF THE PARENTS.
SO MY QUESTION AGAIN IS WHERE CAN I FIND A OUTLINED PROCESS OF WHAT, OF WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE EVERY YEAR, BUT FOR COLLECTING
I MEAN, WE HAVE, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THAT WRITTEN OUT.
TH TH THAT, THAT, THAT, TO ME, THAT'S A CONCERN JUST BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT I, AT ONE INSTANCE, I HAVE A, UH, A PARENT CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE CONTACTED AT THE END OF JULY A BOUT A DAMAGED COMPUTER.
AND I WAS LIKE, WHY? IT WAS JUST, SHE WAS LIKE, WELL, WHY ARE, WHY ARE THEY CONTACTING ME AT THE END OF JULY? AND WHOEVER STARTED AUGUST ABOUT DAMAGED COMPUTER AND, AND, AND THAT THEY WOULD JUST, JUST GOT TO IT OR SOMETHING.
AND, AND I SAID, THAT DIDN'T SOUND RIGHT.
I SAID, MAYBE YOU CAN CONTACT THE SCHOOL AND I REDIRECTED TO THE SCHOOL, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOU ABOUT THIS.
UM, CAUSE AFTER SHE CONTACTED ME THAT SOMEONE ELSE CONTACTED ME, INSTEAD OF THEY HAD JUST GOTTEN THE PHONE CALL AS WELL.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING WHAT'S THE PROCESS.
AND WE'LL DO HAVE THE PROCESS BROUGHT UP BECAUSE I COULDN'T TELL THEM.
AND I WAS KIND OF LOST AND I COULDN'T PUT THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OF WHERE TO GET A UNDERSTANDING OF, OF, OF HOW TO TAKE PLACE IN, WHERE, WHERE THEY CAN FIND INFORMATION AT THAT COULD BE DUE TO THE STUDENT'S CIRCUMSTANCES.
WAS THAT STUDENT IN SUMMER SCHOOL, IF THAT STUDENT WAS IN SUMMER SCHOOL, THEY KEPT THEIR DEVICE UNTIL THE END OF SUMMER SCHOOL.
AND THAT BE WHY THEY DIDN'T GET THAT UNTIL JULY.
UM, I WOULD LOOK AT THAT ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, RIGHT? W W W WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, I'M, WHAT I'M KIND OF, UH, ASKING FOR IS SOME TYPE OF AR OR SOME, OR SOME TYPE OF GUIDELINES WHERE WE CAN, WHERE WE CAN HAVE SOMETHING.
SO WHEN WE DO HAVE THIS TYPE OF CASE, IT WON'T DAMAGE, THE TYPE OF INCIDENT HAPPENED.
WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROCESS IS, AND WE CAN GO, AND YOU CAN READ UP ON IT SOMEWHERE SO THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT SO THAT THERE IS A, THERE IS A LEVEL OF EXPECTATION ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
AND THEN THERE'S A, THERE'S A, A DISTRICT STANDARD ON, ON, ON, ON THE, ON THE PROCESS SO THAT PARENTS CAN UNDERSTAND IT AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
DOES IT, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? UM, AM I ASKING TOO MUCH FROM A DISTRIBUTOR? AM I ALLOWED TO ASK THAT, OH, YOU'RE CERTAINLY ALLOWED TO ASK IT.
I THINK THAT WOULD END THIS CONVERSATION IF WE'D JUST WRITE UP BASICALLY WHAT YOU JUST OUTLINED MARK.
IF, IF YOU JUST WRITE THAT UP, HAVE IT REVIEWED TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY LOOPHOLES OR PROBLEMS, UH, WITH THE WORDING, AND THEN WE CAN PUT IT OUT THERE AND FOLKS TO KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THEY TURN STUFF IN.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE HI-DEF MIGHT SHORT CIRCUIT, SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE SCHOOL FOLKS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN UNDERLYING ISSUE.
I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, IS THAT EACH SCHOOL MAY DO SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE GOING TO HANDLE THAT, UM, IN YOUR WRITEUP.
SO I UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A WILLIAM BAM, THANK YOU.
[00:55:01]
THING YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO, BUT, BUT THAT WOULD END THIS AND I THINK IT'S REASONABLE TO GIVE THEM AN EXPECTATION.UM, AND ALSO IT MIGHT LINE UP ALL THE SCHOOLS TO DO THE SAME THING, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, TANYA.
UM, I THINK WITH, I DON'T WANT TO PUT COLEEN ON THE SPOT HERE, BUT I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE BASED ON THE, THE QUALITY OF HER WORK, THAT WE HAVE SOME INTERNAL PROCEDURES THAT WE TRAIN OUR STAFF MEMBERS ON AT THE SCHOOL LEVELS.
SO, UM, I'M NOT GOING TO ASK ANYTHING SPECIFIC TODAY, BUT I CAN GUARANTEE THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING IN INTERNAL PROCEDURES, UM, THAT WE USE, LIKE WE DO MANY OTHER TASKS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
UM, AND SO WE WILL, UM, LOOK BACK AND CAPTURE WHAT WE ALREADY DO.
UM, BECAUSE I KNOW, UH, AS A PARENT, I HAVE SEEN CONSISTENCY WHEN I DELIVER AND MY CHILD DELIVER OR, YOU KNOW, PER DEVICE EACH YEAR.
AND THEY LOOK FOR THE SAME THINGS EVERY YEAR, UH, AS WE PICK UP THE DEVICE OR DROP IT OFF.
SO, UM, WE'LL, UH, WE'LL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT AND, AND BRING BACK SOMETHING IN OUR NEXT MEETING.
UH, LONG-TERM, I'M JUST, I'M JUST, I BASICALLY GOTTA HAVE SOMETHING IN EXISTENCE ALREADY THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO USE TO AS AN, AS AN OUTLINE AS THESE DAYS.
THAT IS THAT WHERE I'M UNDERSTANDING.
I DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE IT'S NEEDS TO BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE RULE.
IT'S THEIR INTERNAL PROCEDURES THAT WE DO TO COLLECT OR DISTRIBUTE DEVICES.
UM, ADMINISTRATIVE RULE WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S MORE IN LINE.
UM, MORE, MORE, UH, IN LINE WITH THE BOARD POLICIES.
THIS IS DEEP DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS OF, OF THE OPERATIONS AT THE SCHOOL AND THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT, BUT I'M CERTAIN THAT WE PROBABLY, WE ALREADY HAVE SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU THE NEXT MEETING.
I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK IT REALLY MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE, WHETHER IT'S AN AR AS LONG AS IT'S A PROPER NOTIFICATION TO ALL THE PARENTS.
THAT'S THE POINT, THE POINT IS THE PARENTS SHOULD KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND YOUR YEARS, WHAT YOUR, WHAT TO EXPECT.
UM, I THINK, I THINK THAT'S, WE'LL SEE WHAT COMES AT THE NEXT MEETING.
WELL, WHEN THE, AND WE'LL SEE WHERE IT'S POSTED AND HOW IT'S COMMUNICATED TO THE PARENTS, INGRID.
SO GETTING BACK TO THE ISSUE OF, UM, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND FROM YOU, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, MR. SHOHAN THE REASON THAT THE HP BOOKS, AND I KNOW WE HAVE IPADS, THOSE WERE DONATED RIGHT.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT REFRESH CYCLE SUMS UP, IF WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND STICK WITH ONE VENDOR AND GO BACK TO LIKE ALL HP, UM, ONLY THE DEVICES AND PRE-K, DID WE HAVE SOME HELP WITH THE PURCHASE OF THEM, FOR OUR K AND FIRST GRADE? UM, THOSE WERE, UH, PURCHASED WITH SR MONEY.
SO WE MIGHT BE, ARE YOU OKAY? WELL, THAT'S NEITHER HERE BECAUSE WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT MULTIPLE VENDORS, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS IS, UM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE REASON THE HPS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE IS BECAUSE THEY'RE DESIGNED FOR K THROUGH 12, BECAUSE THEY'RE TO BE MORE RESILIENT RIGHT OUT IN THE U S SO DO WE TRACK HOW MANY REPAIRS WE DO ON AN AVERAGE BASIS? HOW MANY LOSSES WE HAVE, HOW MANY PEOPLE, HOW MUCH MONEY PARENTS ARE BUILT? BECAUSE WHEN I LOOKED INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT, A LOT OF DISTRICTS HAVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, SOME DISTRICTS OFFER INSURANCE.
CAUSE THE OTHER THING IS TECHNICALLY IF I HAVE A LAPTOP THAT'S STOLEN OR DAMAGED, IT COULD BE COVERED UNDER A HOMEOWNER'S OR RENTER'S POLICY.
UM, AND THAT'S NOT IN ANY OF OUR LITERATURE.
SO I KNOW SOME DISTRICTS OFFER INSURANCE, BUT I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF.
I GUESS MY MAIN QUESTION HERE IS HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM IS THIS? BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED AND HAVE BEEN HIT WITH 600, $700 BILLS, UH, FOR WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY MANDATED BY THE DISTRICT.
IT MAY BE, IT'S A VERY RARE SITUATION AND WE CAN, OR IS IT MORE COMMON? AND THEN IF IT IS, WE ARE CONTINUALLY RUNNING UP AGAINST A SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE ARE GETTING THESE LARGE BILLS AND THERE'S FRUSTRATION, AND THERE'S INABILITY TO PAY.
I HATE TO HAVE ON A PROMISSORY NOTE FOR A $635 COMPUTER OR $500 A WEEK.
UM, AND THEN IF IT'S, IF IT IS A BIG PROBLEM, CAN WE LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN KIND OF MITIGATE THAT EFFECT ON SOME FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, GIVEN ALL OF OUR EXTRA FUNDING AND WHAT THE, UM, WE HAVE LOOKED AT DIFFERENT INSURANCE PROGRAMS AND MY KIDS HERE IN CHATHAM COUNTY, WE PAY $45 A KID FOR INSURANCE, AND IT'S BASICALLY YOU EITHER BUY THE INSURANCE OR EVERY BIT OF DAMAGE IS ON THE PARENT.
UM, THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS IT'S HARD ENOUGH FOR US TO COLLECT OUR $20 TECHNOLOGY FEE FROM ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
[01:00:01]
WE COULD COLLECT A HIGHER AMOUNT.UM, AND THEN IT WOULD GET VERY DIFFICULT WHEN YOU START LAYERING MULTIPLE INSURANCE POLICIES AND WHO HAD IT AND WHO DIDN'T ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
BUT YOU CAN DEFINITELY GET SOME INFORMATION FOR YOU ON SOME OF THE DIFFERENT COMPANIES THAT DO OFFER THOSE INSURANCE PROGRAMS. WHEN I THINK I WOULD REQUEST AND, UH, SEE IF THIS, IT GOES WITH THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE IS JUST, UH, AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW BIG A PROBLEM IT IS, HOW MANY, BECAUSE I'VE HAD THREE KIDS AND ALL THEIR DEVICES AND KNOCK ON WOOD SO FAR.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS A PROBLEM, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW BIG A PROBLEM IT IS, HOW MUCH MONEY, HOW MANY, HOW MANY ISSUES WE'RE HAVING WITH REPAIR, BECAUSE IT IS $635 IS A SIGNIFICANT COST.
UM, ESPECIALLY, I DON'T KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF FRUSTRATION WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN GET THE SAME DEVICE ELSEWHERE FOR HALF THAT MONEY.
THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY ABOUT THAT IS I'M NOT SURE IT'S WORTH THE EXTRA $300 FOR THE DIFFERENT QUARTERS THAT MAY NOT BE, YOU KNOW, AND THEN THE DIFFERENT STRENGTHENING IF WE'RE STILL GETTING THE SAME AMOUNT OF REPAIRS YOU WOULD WITHOUT, UM, THAT, SO THOSE ARE KIND OF MY THOUGHTS ON IT.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF FRUSTRATION WITH PARENTS ABOUT THAT ISSUE.
SO THE NEXT STEP IS TO, YEAH, YOU SAID NOT THE OPPOSITE OF USAGE DAMAGE.
NUMBER OF INCIDENTS AND THE COST.
AND I MEAN, I'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW MANY PARENTS WE HAVE ON A PROMISSORY NOTE PLAN OR SOME SORT OF, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD THE COST.
AND THEY'RE ON SOME SORT OF PROMISSORY NOTE TO THE DISTRICT OVER THAT I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
AND WE CAN DO THAT LIST TO SECRET SANTAS.
DAVID YOU'RE GETTING WHIMSICAL, I'M CONCERNED.
WELL, I MEAN, NOT, I'M ALWAYS FASCINATED THAT PEOPLE GO INTO WALMART AND PAY OFF THE NO FOR, FOR SOME STRANGER AND THEY SAY, OKAY, I'M GOING TO PAY OFF THEIR BILL.
SO THAT'D BE GREAT IF SOMEBODY WOULD STEP UP AND PAY OFF THE BILL FOR SOME OF OUR FOLKS, BUT IT IS A LITTLE WHIMSICAL.
A LITTLE POLLYANNA COMING OUT AT ME.
THAT'S THE NEXT STEP ON THIS? OKAY.
UH, FUTURE TOPICS, I THINK WE HAVE NEXT STEPS LINED UP FOR SEVERAL OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY.
SO THAT COULD ALL ROLL FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONE.
UM, ANYTHING ELSE? STICK ANYTHING? YEAH.
I I'VE SEEN A ORG CHART OF THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT, BUT I'M HEARING, I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO SEE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL IN THE ORG CHART.
I'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND I'D LIKE TO SEE, UM, SALARY AND WAGE INFORMATION.
I KNOW THAT SENSITIVE THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IT, KEEP IT SENSITIVE, BUT, UH, I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT, THAT I'M SURE WOULD BE ANSWERED IF I COULD SEE THAT KIND OF INFORMATION.
WELL, IF IT IS SENSITIVE, THEN WE CAN'T PUT IT OUT IN BOARD DOCS AND WE CAN'T, CAN'T TALK ABOUT, I DON'T HAVE TO BE AN EXECUTIVE KIND OF AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT, UM, ALL RIGHT.
YOU CAN TELL US WHETHER IT'S SENSITIVE OR NOT DEFINITELY SENSITIVE.
UM, HOWEVER, UH, IN OUR LAST MEETING, WE DID PROVIDE A, A BRIEF, UH, BULLET 0.2 WEEKS AGO BY, UH, THE KNOCK OR THE NETWORK OPERATING CENTER EMPLOYEES.
SO THAT PROVIDES SOME, UH, WHAT WE FELT COMFORTABLE PROVIDING IN PUBLIC, BUT ALSO THEIR DUTIES ARE OFTEN SENSITIVE AS WELL.
AND MARK CAN PROBABLY SPEAK BETTER TO THIS, BUT YOU DON'T WANT SOMEONE WHO MAY BE ABSENT FOR A WEEK ON VACATION.
YOU DON'T WANT EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A SPECIFIC BEAUTY OF MONITORING THE, UM, YOU KNOW, CYBER SECURITY AND, UM, PHISHING ATTEMPTS IN THE DISTRICT.
SO THE NOT ONLY THE, THE SALARY INFORMATION MAY BE PROTECTED, BUT THE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE SENSITIVE TO THE SPECIFIC DUTIES.
UM, THEY HAVE WITH REGARD TO SECURITY OF OUR NETWORK SYSTEMS. SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT AS WELL.
UM, BUT I CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY DISCUSS THIS WITH DR.
RODRIGUEZ AND THE REQUEST AND SEE WHAT HIS TAKE IS ON THAT.
AND, UM, THEN BRING ANY INFORMATION
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OR ALLOW HIM TO BRING THAT BACK TO THE CHAIR AND, UM, FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.SO YOU'LL TELL US WHAT IS, UH, WHAT SENSITIVE NEEDS TO BE DONE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
OH, I'M SURE WINDOW GIVE A THUMBS UP ON, ON YOUR INTERPRETATION.
THAT'LL BE, THEN THAT'LL BE OUR NEXT STEP ON THAT.
UM, THIS IS A LITTLE MORE TO THE ED TECH SIDE, UH, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF WE HAVE SOME SORT OF WORKFLOW PROCESS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION WHEN WE GET NEW TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS OR WHEN WE CHANGE VENDORS, UM, HOW WE ROLL THAT OUT AND, YOU KNOW, SO IN A LOT OF WORKFLOW PROCESSES, ONE OF THE THINGS IS YOU TEST IT.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S LIKE A FEEDBACK LOOP, LIKE HOW IT'S ACTUALLY WORKING OUT IN THE FIELD, WHICH I HAVE, I HAVE SOME REASONS TO BELIEVE THAT THAT PART NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLESHED OUT.
UH, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY THAT, THAT GOES INTO THE SCHOOLS AND THEN THERE'S A TRAINING PIECE AND THERE'S AN IMPLEMENTATION PIECE AND GETTING FEEDBACK TO SEE HOW IT'S ACTUALLY BEING USED.
SO IF THERE IS LIKE A MODEL THAT WE HAVE, OR A WORKFLOW PROCESS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT FOR IMPLEMENTING A NEW TECHNOLOGY OR NEW VENDORS, MR. SMITH, UH, NOT ALONG TERMS OF WHAT, WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN, IN TERMS OF THE, UM, THE SALARIES ARE ALL SOURS ARE PUBLIC DOLLARS AND THAT IS PUBLIC INFORMATION.
UM, SO STYLES WILL SAY THAT I KNOW THAT THAT, THAT, UH, WHAT MR. GUARD IS ACTUALLY, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT IS, UH, TH TH THAT IS POKER.
THAT IS NOT, UH, PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE, BUT THAT'S PRIVATE AND, UM, THEIR POSITIONS.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT THAT SHOULD BE, UH, SHOULD BE PRIVATE, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THEY DO BELIEVE THAT THE SERGEANT OR NOT.
AND I DO, AND I DO CONCUR WITH, WITH WHAT, WITH HIM ASKING FOR A MOVE OF THAT REPORT THAT HE JUST READ, THAT HE JUST REQUESTED AS WELL.
WELL, WE'LL LET, WE'LL LET WENDY BE THE FINAL, FINAL CALL ON WHAT IS, AND ISN'T OKAY.
AND ALSO WHEN THEY BRING BACK THE ANSWER, IF THEY SAY SOMETHING THAT ISN'T ALSO GOING TO SHOW US IN THE RIGHT TO, UH, UH, TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND SO THAT I CAN REALLY SHARE IT CAN BE A LEARNING SO THAT I CAN, I CAN LEARN TOO.
SO IF THIS EVER COME BACK UP THAT I CAN KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO GO AT AND TO HOW TO DEFEND MY ANSWER.
SO CAN THEY JUST BRING US THE, BRING US THE INFORMATION THAT STATING THAT WHY IT ISN'T AS WELL AND WHERE WE CAN FIND THE INFORMATION AS WELL FOR, UH, FOR FURTHER FOR THE REFERENCES.
I THINK WHEN HE USUALLY GIVES US A SITE, MOST ATTORNEYS DO.
UM, THINK WE HAVE A NICE, NICE FULL AGENDA FOR OUR NEXT MEETING.
NOW, ARE WE ON A REGULAR BASIS, ROBIN? NO, NO, NO, SIR.
I GOT CAUGHT OFF GUARD ON THIS.
FOR SOME REASON I HAD IT OUT THERE ON THE 27TH OR SOMETHING.
UH, IT MUST'VE BEEN ONE OF THOSE DRUGS THEY HAD ME ON.
UM, SO DO WE WANT TO ESTABLISH A REGULAR REGULAR TIME EACH MONTH? IS THAT WORTH THE EFFORT? I KNEW IT WOULD BE AT AN ADVANTAGE TO ROBIN IF SHE COULD SCHEDULE IT.
AND THE WALL HAD BEEN MEETING THE SECOND THURSDAY, DOES I GO BACK AND LOOK THROUGH, UM, WELL, NO, NOT NECESSARILY.
SO NOW YOU DON'T HAVE THIS, UH, YOU KIND OF BEEN ALL OVER THE PLACE, SO YOU DON'T HAVE AN ESTABLISHED TIME.
UM, WHY DON'T WE ALL THE THREE OF US, ALL OF US, ALL THREE OF US, UM, GET TO ROBYN ON WHAT THE BEST DAY OF EACH MONTH WOULD BE IN THE BEST TIME.
AND THEN WE'LL SET IT UP AT TANYA, SIR.
I JUST, UM, JUST WANT TO MENTION, IN CASE YOU SELECT THE SECOND THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER, IT IS VETERAN'S DAY.
SO I'M NOT, I KNOW THAT'S NOT A SCHOOL DAY.
I'M NOT SURE ABOUT STAFF WORK DAY, BUT, UM, WE MIGHT WANT TO AVOID THAT DAY IF POSSIBLE.
SO ALL YOUR CELEBRATION OF VETERANS DAY, UM, YEAH, WELL, WE'LL, WE'LL SEE WHAT, WHAT ROBIN GETS.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL, WE CAN ALL PITCH IN ON FIND THE BEST ONE.
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IS THAT CORRECT? MA'AM I'M SORRY.YOU JUST WANT US TO EMAIL YOU AND ROBIN WHATEVER'S WHATEVER'S BEST FOR YOU.
HOPEFULLY SOMETHING WILL JUMP OUT AND BE OBVIOUS.
AND THEN TANYA, WHEN YOU YOU'RE ALSO WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU.
WE'LL TRY AND TURN THE WORKDAY.
HOW ABOUT THAT? AND YOUR WORK DAY IS WHAT? A SEVEN TO 9 24 7, JUST AS AN FYI RIGHT NOW LOOKS LIKE THE THIRD.
THURSDAY IS PRETTY OPEN IT'S IN TO YOU ON ALL RIGHT.
UM, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO COME UP WITH THE TIME.
LET'S MAKE TWO O'CLOCK AND UH, IF ANYBODY HAS A PROBLEM WITH IT, LET US KNOW AND WE CAN ADJUST.
SO IT WILL BE THE THIRD, THURSDAY AT TWO O'CLOCK.
STARTING NEXT, STARTING NEXT MONTH.
SO THAT WOULD BE NOVEMBER 18TH.