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SO WE HAVE A TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE ON DECEMBER 9TH AND AS ALWAYS, IF WE WOULD STAND FOR THE BUDGET ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
OUR NEXT ORDER IS THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT, WE NEED TO REMOVE THE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES.
WE APPROVE THE AGENDA WITH THE REMOVAL OF ITEMS D AND E THE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES.
SECOND, THE MOTION DISCUSSION, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
IT'S THREE, ZERO AS MARK JOINED US ALL GOOD.
CAUSE FOR YOU GOT A LOT OF THINGS ON YOUR MIND AND START OFF WITH THE UPDATE ON THE TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT RFP.
I'M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT YOU HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT, UM, POSTED THE RFP IS NOW POSTED.
WE DID ADD A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO THE DEADLINE BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAYS COMING UP.
SO THE DEADLINE WILL BE END OF DAY, JANUARY 12TH, 2022, THEN FOR REASONABLE.
I JUST WANT TO SEE ANY AGAIN, SO SORRY TO HEAR THAT.
I HAVE A HARD STOP AT THREE O'CLOCK.
UM, I HAVE A PHONE CALL AT THREE, SO WE WERE, IF WE RUN OVER, UM, YOU KNOW, LET ANGRY ON THE MEETING.
THAT'S A THREAT UPDATE ON RADIOS.
UPDATE ON RADIOS, UM, FOR THE RADIOS, UM, I'M GOING TO HAVE WADE BRITT.
WHO'S OUR RADIO CONSULTANT FROM CALL ME TECHNOLOGIES AND HE IS GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROJECT.
CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? OKAY, GREAT.
I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DIFFICULTY HERE WITH THE IT SIDE.
WE WERE HAVING AN INTERNET OUTAGE JUST AS THE INVITE CAME OUT.
UM, AND JUST FOR THE RECORD I AM WITH, UH, UH, CALL IN, UH, MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, OUR EMAIL ADDRESS CALL AND SEE, UH, I WORK AS A MANUFACTURER'S REPRESENTATIVE FOR MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS.
SO ACTUALLY YOUR, YOUR CONTRACTS, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS.
UM, AND WE ARE VERY WELL UNDERWAY WITH THE RADIO PROJECT.
UH, WE STARTED THIS PROJECT ORIGINALLY IN 2018.
UH, I LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ASPECTS TO IT AND ULTIMATELY DECIDED THAT, UH, THE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS BEST SERVED TO JOIN FORCES AND COLLABORATE WITH BUFORD COUNTY FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM THAT ISN'T SERVICED WITH THE COUNTY.
UH, IT'S A WIDE AREA RADIO SYSTEM THAT ENCOMPASSES FIVE TRANSMITTER SITES THAT ARE ALL LINKED TOGETHER, ALLOWED, READY TO USERS TO RUN FROM ONE SITE TO THE NEXT.
AND IT ALSO IS A COMPONENT TO THE PAL 800 RADIO SYSTEM, WHICH IS A STATEWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY PUBLIC SERVICE RADIO SYSTEM USED THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
UM, BEAVER COUNTY HAS FIVE SITES OUT OF THE PALLIATE HUNDRED, UH, SYSTEM.
THERE'S A TOTAL OF 163 TRANSMITTER SITES LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY THROUGH EXCUSE ME, THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
SO THAT MEANS THAT ONCE BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT RADIOS, THE COUNTY, THEY CAN THEN ROAM OVER TO THE BEAVER COUNTY BEF THE PALMETTO 800 SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATE BACK AND TO ONE ANOTHER THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
UM, IT IS THE KIND OF THE GOLD STANDARD FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
IT IS THE GOLD STANDARD FOR PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEMS. IT'S BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR A LONG TIME AND CONTINUES TO EVOLVE AND, UH, IMPROVE.
AND, UH, THE COUNTY IS A, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS WELL AHEAD.
YOU GUYS, UH, HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED TECHNOLOGY THAT PALLIATE HUNDRED HAS BEEN IMPLEMENT IN 2025.
THAT'S ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES, I GUESS, OF COMING IN WITH A GREENFIELD
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LIKE THIS AND STARTING FROM SCRATCH, UH, THE COUNTY, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, RADIO SYSTEMS CONSISTENTLY GET THOSE DETAILS HERE OF SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY EIGHT, SEVEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SIX, PORTABLE RADIOS, 214 MOBILES AND FOUR BASE STATIONS, UM, THAT THE, THE, ALL THE MOBILE RATES ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE BUSES, OBVIOUSLY.AND THEN THE BUS BARNS HAVE A BASE STATION IN EACH ONE OF THOSE.
UH, WE'VE GOT A VERY NUMBER OF HANDHELD RADIOS DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT AT EACH OF THE SCHOOLS.
AND WE ARE ALSO IN THE PROCESS NOW OF IMPLEMENTING BI-DIRECTIONAL AMPLIFIERS TO IMPROVE COVERAGE WITHIN THE SCHOOLS, NOT JUST FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, BUT AS WELL AS FOR THE COUNTY'S FIRST RESPONDERS.
UM, IT IS A VERY RELIABLE RADIO SYSTEM.
IT IS LIKE I SAY, IT'S A STATE-OF-THE-ART RADIO SYSTEM.
THERE'S APPROXIMATELY 60,000 RADIOS, UH, ON THE, AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS POTENTIAL TO TALK TO THOSE IF NEEDED.
SO IN A MASS AND THE MINUTE OF A MASS, UH, A CASUALLY VET OR MASS WEATHER EVENT, ALL THESE RADIOS HAVE THE ABILITY TO COORDINATE ACTIVITIES AMONG THEM.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A VERY SOPHISTICATED RADIO SYSTEM WITH A LOT OF CAPABILITIES ON IT.
SO YOU'VE GOT WIDE AREA COVERAGE.
YOU'VE GOT PRIVATE STREET COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, IF YOU NEED IT, UH, OR CD WATER COMMUNICATIONS, IF YOU NEED IT, BUT THEN PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN EACH OF THE SCHOOLS AND THEN AMONGST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS A WHOLE, UM, THE RADIOS WORK INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE FACILITIES.
UH, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS PUTTING IN THE BDAS, THE BI-DIRECTIONAL AMPLIFIERS THAT WILL IMPROVE COVERAGE WITHIN EACH OF THE SCHOOLS.
THE THICK WORK IS, UH, ALL THAT EQUIPMENT IS IN, UH, IN TOTAL.
SO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRENTLY HAS A BRIGHT ADD A THOUSAND RADIOS ON THE NETWORK AS A WHOLE.
THAT CERTAINLY SOUNDS STELLAR.
UM, RICHARD OR DICK RATHER ANYTHING? NO QUESTION.
ANYTHING CAN I JUST ASK FOR CLARIFICATION? SO BY FOLLOWING ALONG, SO WE NOW WITH THESE RADIOS, THE ADVANTAGE OF THEM IS THAT IN ADDITION TO BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE OVER THE CAMPUS OF THE SCHOOL, THERE'S A COMMUNICATION PIECE DIRECTLY WITH COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES.
THE RADIO IS SET UP TO WHERE THEY OPERATE ON.
THEY'VE GOT INCIDENT MANAGEMENT CHANNELS THAT ARE PUT IN PLACE.
THEY ARE USED IN SPECIFIC INSTANCES.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT SEPARATE HIS COMMUNICATIONS FROM YOURS, UH, AS ARE THE OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS.
NOW HAVING SAID THAT, UM, THE BUF, THE BLUFFTON POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS APPROACHED ME AND ASKED ABOUT COORDINATING, GETTING THEIR RADIOS CONFIGURE REPROGRAMMED, SO THEY CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR STAFF FOLKS ON, ON THEIR CHANNELS.
DOES BUFORD COUNTY SHERIFF HAVE THAT AS WELL, OR JUST BLUFFED OUT OF LEFT AND POLICE? UH, NO ONE HAS IT AVAILABLE IS AVAILABLE TO ANY OF THE USERS ON THE NETWORK.
THAT'S SO HERE'S, NOW THAT DOES REQUIRE A MODIFICATION TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND BEAVER COUNTY.
THE RADIO SYSTEM IS FLEXIBLE AND ABLE TO SUPPORT THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU WANT IT.
SO THERE'S JUST, THERE'S ADDED FUNCTIONALITY THAT WE COULD BE LOOKING AT DOWN THE ROAD, UM, WITH POTENTIALLY LIKE BEAVER COUNTY SHERIFF, OR I WOULD IMAGINE ALSO FIRE AMBULANCE THAT EXACTLY.
AND THAT'S JUST, THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL HARDWARE TO BUY.
YOU JUST HAVE TO REPROGRAM THE WAY HE USE TO SUPPORT THAT WAS IN PLACE.
ALL THE HARDWARE IS IN PLACE WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AT THIS POINT.
NOW I HAVE QUESTION THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF WHOMEVER HAVE TO REQUEST THAT, OR DO WE REQUEST THAT WELL, IT HAS TO BE AGREED TO BY BOTH PARTIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT CAME UP AND SAID, HEY, WE WANT ACCESS TO THE BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I WOULD NOT DO THAT WITHOUT WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
I GOT, UM, I'M, I MUST BE MISUNDERSTANDING SOMETHING HERE, BECAUSE THAT SEEMS TO NOT BE A GOOD THING THAT I THOUGHT ONE OF THE BIG THINGS WAS THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ALL THOSE FIRST RESPONDERS WOULD HAVE PRETTY MUCH UNLIMITED ACCESS TO OUR STAFF AND OUR STAFF WITH THEM.
AM I MISUNDERSTANDING SOMETHING? NO, THIS WAS A DECISION THAT WAS MADE AT THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE DURING THE PROGRAM INITIAL PROGRAMMING.
UH, BUT IT'S, IT'S AVAILABLE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, IF YOU ALL WANT THAT, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF COLLABORATION.
UH, A CERTAIN, THEIR DAY, DAY ROUTINE CHANNELS ARE NOT DAY-TO-DAY ROUTINE CHANNELS ARE NOT LOADED IN THE COUNTIES RADIOS, BUT
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WE DO HAVE, UH, INCIDENT CHANNELS, UH, THAT ARE SET UP A ZONE AND THE RADIOS, IF YOU WILL, THAT YOU ORDER THAT AND THAT IT'S BASICALLY YOU MEET AT THE SAME PLACE TO COORDINATE YOUR ACTIVITIES.SO ROBERT, IS THERE ANY MOVEMENT ON OUR PARTS, UM, TO TRY TO GET THESE LINKS? IF I COULD CLARIFY THE SHERIFF PRETTY MUCH PUT ON THERE.
UH, ONE OF HIS ITEMS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GET ON THE NETWORK IS THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM DIRECTLY.
NOW, WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS PUT THESE INCIDENT CHANNELS AS WADE TALKED ABOUT.
SO THAT SAY A HURRICANE COMES WE'LL, THEN THOSE COULD THEN BE USED, UM, TO COMMUNICATE BACK AND FORTH.
BUT, UM, THEY DO NOT, THEY DID NOT WANT TO HAVE DIRECT CONTACT, UM, WHAT THEY DO, THE SRS AND ALL THOSE SCHOOLS WILL HAVE TWO RADIOS, YOU KNOW, ONE FOR US AND ONE FOR THEM.
AND PRETTY MUCH OUR FASTEST, ANYBODY TO TELL YOU THE FASTEST FORM OF COMMUNICATION IS THROUGH THE SRO.
SO THE SRO CAN HEAR ON OUR RADIO AND HE CAN GO IMMEDIATELY TO HIS AND CONTACT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AS AN OFFICER OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
SO THAT'S OUR FAST, FAST, FAST, OR THE 9 1, 1 OR ANYTHING.
SO, UM, WHAT ABOUT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITH THE GUARD? ONE SECURITY, IF IT IS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE, YEAH, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR RADIOS.
THEY WON'T HAVE, OBVIOUSLY THAT DIRECT LINE, UM, TO THE, UH, UH, THEY WON'T INDIVIDUALLY HAVE A DIRECT LINE TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
NOW, ANY OF THE, WE CAN SET UP A LINE BETWEEN SAY, UH, THE SORROWS AND, UM, WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, BUT THE SROS AND THOSE SECURITY OFFICERS WHERE THEY COULD CONTACT AN SRO AT A DIFFERENT SCHOOL, IF NEED BE.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL VERY CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ACTIVE SHOOTERS AND THREATS AND WHATNOT, AND EVEN AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT HANDICAPPED RIGHT.
COMPARED TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATING, IF THERE'S A SITUATION, WELL, THEY WOULD, YEAH, THEY WOULD DIAL NINE ONE.
ONE IS WHAT THEY, SO THEN I GUESS MY FOLLOW-UP BS, CAUSE YOU SAID THE FASTEST WAY IS THE ONE HAND RADIO ON THIS HAND SRO WITH A DIFFERENT RADIO.
MEANWHILE, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THEY'RE TRYING TO DIAL 9 1 1, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE COMPARABLE.
I HADN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT EITHER.
WELL, I GUESS YOU'D SAY THEY AREN'T IN THE SENSE THAT A SHERIFF OVER THERE NETWORK ST.
SHERIFF NEEDS SUPPORT IS GOING TO BE HOW TO GET IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO MAYBE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DOWN THE ROAD, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME ACCESS.
THERE MAY BE A WAY THAT WE CAN WAIT.
MAYBE WE CAN TALK ABOUT, I MEAN, THE PROGRAMMING IN A NUMBER OR SOME THING THAT WE COULD PUT ON THERE TO GET THEM TO THEIR NEAREST SRO, SOMETHING WE MIGHT WANT TO.
AND WE, WE CAN CREATE BASICALLY, AS YOU KNOW, THE RADIOS ARE VERY FLEXIBLE.
WE CAN CREATE ADDITIONAL TALK GROUPS OR CHANNELS.
UH, SO BASICALLY YOU JUST GOT TO TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO CALL IT, AND WE CAN PUT THAT IN THE EXISTING RADIOS OR THE NEW RADIOS, HOWEVER, YOU'D WANT TO SPLIT THAT OUT SO WELL.
AND WE'RE, THESE ARE GOING TO BE NEW RADIOS COMING FOR THESE NEW POSITIONS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THAT SOMETHING WE MIGHT TALK ABOUT ADDING TO JUST THOSE RADIOS, THAT CONNECTION TO AN SRO AT A NEARBY SCHOOL.
WELL, TH TH THAT MS. BOATWRIGHT IS BROUGHT UP, HAS ALSO BEEN BROUGHT UP BY THE BLUFFTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WANT TO DO IS HAVE DIRECT ACCESS SO THAT THEIR POLICE OFFICERS AT LEAST COORDINATE WITH THE SRO ON THAT RADIO.
AND IF NOTHING ELSE MAYBE HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR OPERATIONAL DOGWOODS THAT YOU CHOOSE TO LET THEM HAVE ACCESS TO.
SO THE EQUIPMENT IS ABLE TO DO THAT.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF YOU GUYS SAYING, HEY, YEAH, WE WANT WE'LL ALLOW THEM TO COME OVER HERE.
THE SHERIFF HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR.
HE WANTED TO SEPARATE HIS COMMUNICATIONS AND ISOLATE THAT, BUT WE CAN SET UP WHERE THEIR RADIUS CAN COME TO YOU.
JUST AS ANOTHER FOLLOW-UP TOO.
I THINK THE, WHAT DAVID IS TO MAKE SURE TO ASK THE SUPERINTEND TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE UTILIZING THE RADIUS TO THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL, UM, IN TERMS OF INTERACTION WITH COUNTY RESOURCES.
UH, I, I THINK WE CERTAINLY WANT TO BYPASS THE 9 1 1 STEP BECAUSE THAT'S JUST ADDING A DELAY.
WE PROBABLY DON'T DON'T NEED, AND I DON'T LIKE THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS WITH SRS AND SCHOOLS, SECURITY OFFICERS.
BUT ROBERT, IF I UNDERSTAND YOU, YOU, AREN'T GOING TO LOOK INTO THAT.
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AND ACTUALLY A NO FREDDIE WADE AND MYSELF, WE'RE ALL ON THIS CALL AND WE'RE ABOUT TO PLACE THAT ORDER FOR THOSE RADIOS.AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS THE NEAREST SRO AND TALK, UM, AND, AND SEE HOW WE CAN YEAH.
OPEN UP THAT LINE OF COMMUNICATION THERE.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP? YEAH.
I, I TELL YOU THAT NO POLICE DEPARTMENT OR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT IS GOING TO ALLOW, UH, CIVILIANS, IF YOU WILL, WHETHER THEY BE CONTRACTORS OR SCHOOL OFFICIALS ON THEIR NET PERIOD, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
THEY HAVE TO HAVE NET DISCIPLINE FOR THEIR EMERGENCY USE AND THEY CAN'T HAVE UNTRAINED AND, AND PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT FROM THEIR OWN ORGANIZATION ON THAT NET.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, IT'S A GOOD THING THAT IF THEY CAN CALL INTO OUR NET, THAT'S A GOOD THING, BUT THEY COULD DIAL IN AND GET RIGHT TO SCHOOL OFFICIALS FROM THEIR END TO US, BUT IT'S NOT EVER GOING TO GO THE OTHER WAY.
SO WE HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO HAVE A, SOME KIND OF AN EMERGENCY PROTOCOL FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, WITH CONTRACT, UH, EMPLOYEES AS SECURITY OFFICERS TO, UH, CONTACT THE LOCAL POLICE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE SECURITY FIRM THAT WE HIRE SHOULD BE PAID TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT.
BUT THEN ON THE CELL PHONES IS NEXT.
AND ONE MORE THING ON THAT I DID INCLUDE, UH, TWO DOCUMENTS IN THE BOARD PACKAGE.
ONE WAS A BASIC SCHOOL DIAGRAM FOR ST.
AND IT'S JUST TO SHOW, UH, THE BASE LAYOUT FOR THE RADIO SYSTEM.
AND I WANTED TO SAY THAT, UH, WE DO TREAT ALL BUILDINGS AND SCHOOLS THE SAME.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE ROUGHLY THE SAME THROUGHOUT EVERY ONE OF OUR BUILDINGS.
MAYBE A FEW MORE ANTENNAS, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE.
YOU BET YOU, AND THERE WAS A HEAT MAP ALSO, BUT, UH, THAT'S SIM VERY SIMILAR TO THE WIRELESS DIAGRAMS. I SHOWED A FEW MONTHS BACK, UM, AND JUST SHOWING THE SIGNAL LEVELS.
UM, I PROVIDED A LIST OF ALL CELL PHONES THAT THE DISTRICT USES BY DEPARTMENT.
AND IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
THAT WAS A QUICK CLOSURE ITEM.
I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THE, WHAT THE ISSUE WAS, SO YEAH.
UM, E-SPORTS UM, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING WE NEED TO LOOK AT FOR E-SPORTS IS WE NEED TO DETERMINE BASICALLY WHAT GAMES WE WANT FOR COMPETITION.
THE GAMES WE DECIDE TO USE IS GOING TO DETERMINE THE PRICE OF THE EQUIPMENT WE PURCHASE.
UM, IF WE PLAY GAMES LIKE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS AND, UM, UH, ROCKET LEAGUE, THOSE DON'T HAVE THE HARDWARE, THE HIGHER HARDWARE SPECS AS GAMES LIKE OVERWATCH HAS.
UM, AND MORE THAN LIKELY MOST OF THE GAMING CLUBS WOULD WANT SOME TYPE OF MIXTURE BETWEEN THE TWO.
UM, SO WE JUST NEED TO DETERMINE, UM, KIND OF THE NUMBERS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IN THE CLUBS AND THE SPLIT DIFFERENTIATION DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN GAMES.
UM, I'VE MADE CONTACT WITH HP DELL BITE RIGHTS SYSTEMS, AND THEY ARE ALL GETTING US QUOTES FOR THEIR GAMING LINEUPS.
SO WE'LL HAVE A GOOD VARIETY TO CHOOSE FROM.
THE HARDEST THING WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT RIGHT NOW IS THE SHORTAGE OF GPU'S RIGHT NOW, FINDING GRAPHICS CARDS IS
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VERY HARD BECAUSE OF THE CHIP SHORTAGE IN CHINA.AND AS QUICK AS THEY CAN GET THEM OUT, THEY ARE ALREADY SOLD.
SO GETTING A MASS NUMBERS IS GOING TO BE HARD ON THE SIDE LINES, BUT GOING THROUGH A DISTRIBUTOR LIKE HP DELL, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THE QUANTITIES WE NEED TO, UH, UH, REALIZE THE, UH, E-SPORTS LEAGUES THROUGHOUT BUFORD COUNTY.
UM, YEAH, CAUSE I'M THINKING WE SHOULD START AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THEN WORK IT DOWN PROBABLY, UM, OVERWATCH, I THINK, CAUSE I'VE DONE SOME, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH ON IS PROBABLY AN UP AND COMING GAME.
THAT'S NOT WIDELY PLAYED AT THE E-SPORTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
UM, SO FOR ME, LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, ROCKET FIFA MADDEN, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE DO NBA TWO K OR NOT.
UM, AND THEN, UH, THE OTHER ONE IS SMASHED CART.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ONE REQUIRES A HIGHER LEVEL.
SO, SO THE QUESTION IS THEN DO YOU GET FOR WHAT'S IT'S SUCH A RAPIDLY EVOLVING PROGRAM AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL RIGHT NOW.
SO MANY HIGH SCHOOLS ARE ADOPTING THEM AND THEY'RE BECOMING A BIGGER AND BIGGER THING.
DO YOU GET THE EQUIPMENT LOOKING FORWARD OR DO YOU GET THE EQUIPMENT FOR WHAT YOU NEED RIGHT NOW? UM, AT DOING SOME RESEARCH WITH, UH, THE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE, UM, AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, UM, E-SPORTS LEAGUE LOOKING ON THEIR WEBSITE, UM, AND WITH THE FUTURE ANTICIPATION THAT SOUTH CAROLINA IS GOING TO BE JUMPING ON BOARD WITH THE SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE RECOGNIZING THIS.
AND THEY ARE, YES, I, I KNOW THEY'RE WORKING ON IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW QUICKLY IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO COME TO FRUITION.
UM, HOPEFULLY BY NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
UM, WHAT, WHAT I WOULD PROBABLY RECOMMEND IS A MIX WITH JUST A FEW STATIONS CAPABLE OF THE HIGHER END GAMES, THANKING THAT FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, THE ROCKET LEAGUE AND THE LOWER GRAPHICS CAPABILITY GAMES ARE GOING TO BE MORE PREVALENT AND TOTAL IT'S MORE WIDELY ADOPTED, BUT THAT DOES GIVE THE FLEXIBILITY OF A FIVE MAN TEAM SAYING WE HAD FIVE OF THE HIGHER END WORKSTATIONS TO STILL PRACTICE AND GET READY, MAYBE DO SOME SIDELINE COMPETING AND THEN BE READY TO JUMP FULL IN WHEN IT GOES, UH, FULLY, UM, ONLINE WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE.
DO YOU MIND IF I KEEP GOING MR. STRINGER? UM, OKAY.
SO WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME IS WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING IS AT EACH SCHOOL, THERE WOULD BE SOME, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF COMPUTERS FOR OVERWATCH OR A HIGHER GRAPHICS UTILIZATION GAME, BUT THE MAJORITY OF COMPUTERS, AS LONG AS THEY COULD DO WHAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.
UM, AND THEN AS THE PROGRAM GROWS, WE JUST ADD MORE HIGH LEVEL GRAPHICS, UH, COMPUTE COMPUTERS IN, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YES, I'M IN THE MAIN REASON FOR THAT IS THE DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR IS THAT THE LOWER END WORKSTATION IS GOING TO COME IN AT THE 14 TO $1,700 RANGE WHERE THE HIGH END ONE IS GOING TO BE AT THE 22 TO $2,500 RANGE.
I WAS GONNA SAY, I THINK IT'S GOOD TO START SMALL AND THEN GROW IT.
UM, ONE OTHER QUESTION, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK THAT I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS WOULD LEAD TO AS SOMETHING LIKE A CYBER RANGE PROGRAM, THAT'S NOT GRAPHICS INTENSE THOUGH.
I'M DECIDED TO SOUTH CAROLINA IS GETTING ON BOARD.
AND I THINK THAT, UH, THAT THIS COULD BE A GREAT THING FOR, FOR KIDS.
MY ONLY QUESTION WAS WHERE IS THE DEMAND COMING FROM OTHER THAN INGRID OR THE SCHOOLS ON THIS? I MEAN, AND YOU MENTIONED THAT THE LEAGUE, UM, IS LOOKING AT, IT COULD BECOME A HIGH SPORT, A RECOGNIZED SPORT, BUT IS THE DEMAND COMING OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS, ARE OUR PRINCIPALS ASKING OR, OR THE ATHLETIC DIRECTORS ASKING SOME, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHERE THIS, ARE WE ANTICIPATING SOMETHING? OR IS THERE ALREADY A DEMAND? THERE IS, GO AHEAD.
UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO PROGRAMS, ONE AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL AT BLUFFTON MIDDLE, WHICH IS CONSIDERED A CLUB.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE ONE AT MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL.
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AND BOTH OF THEM, UM, WERE INITIATED FROM THE SCHOOLS, UM, WANTING TO EXPAND THOSE INITIATIVE INITIATIVES TO THEIR STUDENTS.UM, WE'RE SEEING A GROWING DEMAND ACROSS THE STATE FROM, UM, AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AS THIS BASICALLY GROWS INTO A FULL-TIME SPORT.
UM, AND IT IS REALLY TAKING OFF.
SO MY TAKE ON IT WAS, UH, MAY RIVER HAS A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM.
THEY HAVE A FAIRLY HIGH TURNOUT.
THEY DO IT, I THINK THREE DAYS A WEEK, UM, DIFFERENT GAMES ON DIFFERENT DAYS, EVEN DURING THE PANDEMIC, THEY, THE, THEY ALLOW THEM TO COMPETE FROM HOME, BUT YOU NORMALLY ARE NOT, YOU NORMALLY HAVE TO COMPETE IN THE, UM, IN THE SCHOOL.
UH, AND THEN THEY ACTUALLY HAD KIDS GET SCHOLARSHIPS BECAUSE MORE AND MORE COLLEGES ARE OFFERING E-SPORTS SCHOLARSHIPS.
AND I KNOW THE PRINCE, I HAVE NOT TALKED TO ALL THE PRINCIPALS, BUT I KNOW THAT THE PRINCIPAL HELPED HAVE HIGH HAS BEEN WANTING TO DO IT.
IT'S A QUESTION OF FINDING COACHES, RIGHT.
UM, AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO SAY THAT, UH, WE HAVE A FEMALE, UH, TEACHER THAT STEPPED UP TO BE A COACH OF ANY SPORTS CLUB, WHICH CAUSE ANOTHER BIG THING IS TRYING TO GET MORE GIRLS INTO GAMING.
UM, BECAUSE GAMING IS REALLY A GATEWAY TO A LOT OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY, UH, PROGRAMMING AND CURRICULUM THAT'S COMING OUT.
AND SO I THINK THAT THE DEMAND IS HIGH AMONG STUDENTS.
I THINK THE DEMAND IS LOW AMONG PARENTS BECAUSE THERE'S AN EDUCATION PIECE THAT NEEDS TO GO WITH IT.
UM, THAT IT'S NOT JUST SORT OF AFTERSCHOOL VIDEO GAME PLAYING, BUT THAT IT'S COMPETITIVE.
IT TEACHES SKILLS THAT ARE IN, IN THE JOB FORCE.
IT TEACHES SKILLS THAT ARE IN DEMAND AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL.
SO I THINK THERE IS AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT TO IT.
UM, AND SO, LIKE I SAID, I THINK IT'S, I THINK THAT IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT IN TWO YEARS, WE'LL BE PLAYING CATCH UP.
I'M PRETTY SURE YOU CAN PROBABLY GET PARENTS ON BOARD WHEN YOU TALK SCHOLARSHIP.
AND WELL, THE OTHER THING IS THE THING THAT GOT ME, CAUSE MY, I HAVE AN OLDER SON WHO IS A GAMER.
UM, THE ONE THAT'S AT NORTHWESTERN AND HE PLAYS IN THEIR E-SPORTS PROGRAM UP THERE.
AND HE KEPT ASKING ME ABOUT E-SPORTS HE'S LIKE, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER E-SPORTS.
AND I WAS LIKE, NO, THAT'S JUST VIDEO GAME PLAYING.
WHAT GOT MY ATTENTION IS THIS, THESE VIDEO GAME LEAKS ARE HOW PEOPLE RECRUIT FOR CYBERSECURITY JOB TRAINING, BECAUSE THE SAME SKILL SET THAT ALLOWS YOU, THESE ARE NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, FIRST PERSON SHOOTER GAMES OR SOMETHING THERE'S COMPLEX.
UM, I MEAN I'VE SEEN THE WHOLE THING.
AND AS THESE KIDS GET PROFICIENT, THEY'RE ACTUALLY ELIGIBLE FOR SCHOLARSHIPS.
MILITARY IS ACTUALLY TROLLING THESE LEAKS, LOOKING FOR PEOPLE THAT THEY WILL CERTIFY AND BRING INTO THEIR, UM, PROGRAMS. SO TO NOT DO IT TO ME IS OVERLOOKING WHERE, WHERE THIS COUNTRY IS HEADED.
BUT AS YOU KNOW, I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.
SO I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM.
AND I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THERE, THERE HAS TO BE AN EDUCATIONAL PIECE BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT MORE TO IT THAN I THINK MOST PEOPLE KNOW THE AVERAGE PERSON ON THE STREET, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE ME, UM, HAS NO IDEA THAT THERE'S ALL THESE LEGITIMATE, UM, PILLARS UNDERNEATH OF THIS.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHO DOES THE EDUCATION YOU MEAN? OR THE PARENTAL EDUCATION? YEAH.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, I MEAN, I CAN TELL YOU THE OTHER THING IS WHEN I STARTED TALKING TO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, THERE'S A TON OF INTEREST IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, LIKE THE GREATER ISLAND COUNCIL TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, ET CETERA.
SO I THINK IT'S JUST, IT'S GONNA BE WORD OF MOUTH.
IT'S GONNA BE SENDING STUFF, HOME PEACH TO OUR FLYERS, THAT KIND OF THING.
BUT REALLY, AND THEN LOOKING AT MAY RIVER MAY, RIVER'S GOT A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM, SO IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST GOING TO HAVE TO CONVINCE PARENTS THAT WE'RE NOT SETTING THEIR KIDS IN FRONT OF A SCREEN TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES.
GOING BACK TO THE, UM, EQUIPMENT, WHAT, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE ON? DO YOU THINK THAT, LIKE, I KNOW GRAPHIC CARDS ARE HARD TO GET, UM, I SHOULD HAVE SOME QUOTES TO, UH, GIVE BACK TO YOU AT THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE SLOW GETTING QUOTES BACK FROM MANUFACTURERS, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO DELIVER, UM, IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY MUCH LIKE MOST OF OUR COMPUTER COMPONENTS, WE'RE LOOKING AT A FOUR TO PROBABLY FIVE MONTH WINDOW FOR RECEIPT OF THAT EQUIPMENT.
SO WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT AT LEAST NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
FOREMOST, THEY DO ACTUALLY HAVE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD TIE INTO OTHER STUFF.
THEY HAVE SOME SUMMER PROGRAMS THAT THEY DO THAT THESE DIFFERENT LEAGUES DO
[00:30:01]
ANYWAY.WELL THEN I'LL JUST WAIT AND SEE WHAT THE LIGHT, WHAT YOU SAY AT THE NEXT TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE MEETING AND THE MAY RIVER, A CLUB I THINK HAS 30 SOMETHING PARTICIPANTS AND THEY, UH, GOTTEN ONE SCHOLARSHIP A YEAR FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS OUT OF THEIR CLUBS.
SO I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD TRACK RECORD.
OH, LET HER GO ON THE PUBLICITY FOLDER.
I PROBABLY HAVE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, BUT I'LL HOLD THEM TILL THE NEXT WEEK.
IF I'M STILL ON THIS COMMITTEE THE NEXT WEEK, UM, PARENTAL USE OF NON SORRY, INTERNET ACCESS FOR STUDENTS AT THE STUDENTS AT HOME, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE KIND OF BANGED AROUND BEFORE, UM, YOU KNOW, KNOWING, KNOWING WHERE THE HOLES ARE.
UM, SO I DUNNO AGAIN, THIS IS, THIS IS YOURS.
UM, YEAH, MY QUESTION WAS IN TRYING TO LOOK AT THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM AND I KNOW DIFFERENT COUNTIES DOING ITS OWN PROGRAM WITH THIS, BUT I WAS JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, DO WE HAVE, CAUSE I DID HEAR THAT THE, THE GENTLEMAN AT THE BROADBAND OFFICE SAID IF NEEDED, HE COULD GET, AND HE WASN'T SUGGESTING THIS.
HE WAS JUST TALKING ACTUALLY TO A GROUP AT THIS POINT, BUT HE'S LIKE THE OFFICE OF BROADBAND HAS ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT STUDENTS WHO LACK INTERNET ACCESS AT HOME BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A POLITICAL IMPETUS.
SO DO WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION HANDY OR IS THAT SOMETHING WE TRACK? WE DO PUT A PIECE IN OUR ONLINE STUDENT REGISTRATION WHERE WE ASK THE PARENTS AS THEY'RE FILLING IT OUT, DO THEY HAVE BROADBAND AT HOME? AND THAT IS TRACKED THROUGH, UM, DATA SERVICES.
UM, THE ONLY PROBLEM WE FOUND IN THE PAST IS, IS A LOT OF TIMES PARENTS WILL SAY THAT THEY HAVE IT WHEN THEY HAVE IT ON A CELL PHONE THAT REALLY WON'T SUPPORT ONLINE LEARNING WITH ZOOM AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO NOT ALL THE ANSWERS WE GET ARE, UM, A HUNDRED PERCENT THAT WE CAN GO BY.
AND THEN I GUESS, UM, MY THOUGHT TOO WAS IF OUR OVERARCHING THING IS TO EXPAND BROADBAND INTERNET, LIKE HOW DO WE GET STARTED? SO THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING LIKE, WHAT, HOW DO WE DEFINE, LIKE WHAT PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS DON'T HAVE INTERNET ACCESS BY SCHOOL BY CLUSTER OR DISTRICT-WIDE? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN START THINKING ABOUT WRAPPING OUR HEADS AROUND WHAT THIS MOUNTAIN LOOKS LIKE? WELL, I WOULD SUGGEST THE FIRST THING WE DO IS CHANGE THE QUESTION.
SO WHAT THINGS, THE QUESTION, RIGHT, RIGHT.
I HAVE THAT, AS YOU SAY, MARK BIG, THEY MIGHT ANSWER.
BUT THEY ONLY HAVE CELL PHONES, SO WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT QUESTION.
UM, SO THAT WE GET THE ANSWER TO THE, TO WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW SO THAT WE CAN, UH, SIZE THIS UP BECAUSE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE DEAD ZONES TECHNICALLY, AND THEN THERE'S, THEN SOMEONE'S FINANCIALLY.
UM, SO OUR INFORMATION IS THE MOST ACCURATE BECAUSE WE'RE ACTUALLY ASKING THE PARENT, DO YOU HAVE IT? NOT WHETHER IT'S AVAILABLE, BUT YOU KNOW, ARE YOU PAYING FOR IT? YOU KNOW? SO I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY THE BEST SOURCE OF THAT INFORMATION.
IF WE ASKED THE RIGHT QUESTION.
THE BEST PART ABOUT THAT IS NOW IS THE TIME WHEN WE'RE GATHERING THE DATA WE PUT INTO OUR, UM, OUR ONBOARDING SYSTEMS. SO WE USUALLY TRY TO HAVE THAT TODAY TO SERVICES BY THE IT BY END OF FEBRUARY.
UM, AND THEY USUALLY LAUNCH THE ONLINE REGISTRATION IN MARCH.
SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT INFORMATION OVER.
AND THAT'S THE REGISTRATION PAPERWORK THAT EVERYONE FILLS OUT, NOT JUST NEW PEOPLE EVERY YEAR, EVERY YEAR, EVERY, EVERY PARENT FILLS IT OUT.
WOULD IT BE REASONABLE TO INCLUDE A QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE PAYING FOR BROADBAND ACCESS VERSUS WHETHER OR NOT IT'S ACTUALLY, YOU HAVE THE, YOU KNOW, THE WIRE TO YOUR HOUSE? UM, YEAH.
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE A LITTLE MORE DELICATE WITH THAT QUESTION.
TO YOUR POINT, DAVID, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, FOUR OBSTACLES TO BROADBAND, RIGHT? THERE'S THE ACTUAL WIRE TO THE HOUSE, THEN THERE'S THE END USER, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THEY RUNNING THIS BROAD, BUT YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE BROADBAND THE WORLD, BUT IF YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, AN OLD COMPUTER THAT DOESN'T, SO THEN WHAT ARE THE END USER, UM, AFFORDABILITY AND THEN DIGITAL LITERACY, BECAUSE I DO WONDER TOO, IF THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY WITH SOME OF OUR MORE RECENT, UM, ARRIVALS TO BEAVER COUNTY THAT HAVE MAYBE LANGUAGE GAPS, YOU KNOW,
[00:35:01]
THEY MIGHT HAVE BROADBAND, THEY MIGHT BE PAYING FOR BROADBAND, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY.THEY DON'T HAVE THE DIGITAL LITERACY TO GO ON AND USE IT THE WAY WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO USE IT FOR STUDENTS, WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT THAT PARENT CONNECTIONS THING IS WORKING ON, WHICH SEGUES INTO MY NEXT QUESTION, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SO PARALLEL POWERSCHOOL, DO WE TRACK HOW MANY PARENTS ACTUALLY SIGN UP FOR POWER SCHOOL? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF FINDING OUT? I WOULD NEED TO CHECK WITH DANIEL FALLON AND DATA SERVICES THAT WOULD BE IN HIS WHEELHOUSE.
YEAH, BECAUSE MY QUESTION IS TWOFOLD ONE, THAT DATE, AND I WAS TALKING TO DAVID ABOUT THIS AND I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THE WEEDS AND I DON'T WANT TO BLINDSIDE ANYBODY WITH A WEIRD QUESTION, BUT I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET BROADBAND TO KIDS BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE REALLY ESSENTIAL AND WE'VE GOT SO MUCH MONEY INVESTED.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING THIS SATURDAY PROGRAM AT BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB AND PART OF IT IS HELPING THESE KIDS USE THIS TECHNOLOGY OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM THAT THEY HAVE THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM TO HELP WITH THE LEARNING GAP.
SO WHEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, I WAS LIKE WITH THE POWER SCHOOL, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO FIND OUT ARE PARENTS SIGNING UP FOR IT BECAUSE THAT MIGHT HELP US UNDERSTAND WHERE THEIR TECHNOLOGY LIMITATIONS ARE BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO DOWNLOAD AN APP ONTO SOMETHING.
I DON'T THINK IT'S VERY, UM, MEMORY INTENSIVE OR ANYTHING, BUT IT TAKES A FAIR AMOUNT.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF A CONNECTION YOU HAVE TO PAYING FOR SOME SORT OF CONNECTION TO USE IT REGULARLY, BUT, YOU KNOW, AND THEN YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE SOME LEVEL OF DIGITAL LITERACY BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT TO GO IN AND GET IT ALL SIGNED UP.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A LANGUAGE BARRIER TO SOME OF THIS AS WELL.
UM, SO THAT WAS ONE THING I THOUGHT, WELL, IF WE KNEW HOW MANY PARENTS ACTUALLY SIGNED UP FOR POWERSCHOOL, AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION IT WOULD KIND OF ANSWER IS WE HAVE THIS TECHNOLOGY AND WE THINK WE'RE ENGAGING WITH PARENTS, BUT IF ONLY 40% OF PARENTS, I HAVE NO IDEA.
I'M JUST MAKING THAT NUMBER UP ARE ACTUALLY SIGNING UP FOR POWERSCHOOL.
THAT KIND OF GOES BACK TO THIS QUESTION OF, ARE WE LOOKING TO SEE IF THE GOALS OF THE TECHNOLOGY ARE BEING MET IN THE IMPLEMENTATION, OR IF WE NEED TO DO SOME MORE OUTREACH OR OFFER SOME CLASSES OR HAVE, YOU KNOW, STUDENTS EDUCATING THEIR PARENTS ON HOW TO SIGN UP FOR POWER SCHOOL.
SO THAT'S WHY IF THAT'S TOO WEEDY OR TOO KIND OF OFF TOPIC, I WOULD MODIFY THE QUESTION BECAUSE SIGNING UP FOR IT IS ONE THING AND THEN USING IT AS A DIFFERENT THING.
SO THE SIGN UPS IS, IS GOOD, BUT WE'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW PROBABLY, OR WHOEVER IS SPEARHEADING.
THIS WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE FREQUENCY OF ACCESS BECAUSE YOU CAN SIGN UP AND USE IT ONCE AND THEN NEVER USE IT AGAIN.
AND WE'LL GET A FALSE PICTURE OF HOW EFFECTIVELY, WELL, EXCEPT IF YOU SIGN UP FOR IT BY NATURE, YOU WILL GET NONSTOP NOTIFICATIONS EVERY TIME A CHILD MISSES A CLASS.
EVERY TIME A GRADE IS POSTED, WHETHER YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOG BACK IN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, I DON'T DO ANYTHING ON POWERSCHOOL, BUT SEVERAL TIMES A DAY I GET A NOTIFICATION, YOU KNOW, HENRY'S GRADE IS NOW BLAH-BLAH-BLAH AND IF IT'S CONCERNING AND I DID, THERE WAS A MISTAKE MADE ON ONE OF HIS GRADES.
IT POPPED UP AND HIS GRADES DROPPED AND I LOOKED I'M LIKE, WHAT HAPPENED ON THIS ASSIGNMENT? WHY DID YOU GET THAT GRADE? HE SAID, I HAVE NO IDEA.
SO HE WENT TO THE TEACHER AND THE TEACHER'S LIKE, OH, THAT WAS A MISTAKE AND FIXED IT.
BUT THAT KIND OF LIKE PARODY, THAT THAT'S SORT OF OUR WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE PARENT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOUR CHILD WAS ABSENT, YOUR CHILD'S GRADES ARE HAVING THESE ISSUES.
IT JUST SEEMED LIKE IT WOULD BE GOOD DATA HAVE, AND IT MIGHT HELP US DEFINE SOME OF THESE THINGS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO TACKLE AT A POLICY LEVEL.
WELL, IT'S MOSTLY A ONE WAY, IT'S NOT A DUPLEX THAT HE IS, YOU CAN DO THINGS LIKE PAY BILLS AND EMAIL TEACHERS THROUGH IT.
BUT TO ME, THE BIGGEST THING IS IF YOU'RE SIGNED UP FOR IT, YOU SHOULD BE GETTING POPUPS ALL THE TIME, TELLING YOU IF THERE'S ANY KIND OF PROBLEM GOING ON, YOU KNOW, AN ABSENCE, A GRADE CHANGE, ET CETERA.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS MENTIONED WAS SOME OF THE PARENTS, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR KIDS ARE DOING AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGY GOES.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THE PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AND THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO BROADBAND, I THINK IS GOING TO BE REALLY CRITICAL.
AND I THINK IT GOES TO OUR ULTIMATE RESULT, DAVID OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
I THINK THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT OF A STRETCH, BUT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, I CAN BUY THEM.
UM, EVERYTHING WE DO HAS FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY IN FACT, JUST ABOUT OTHER THAN ROBOCALLS.
SO THAT'S THAT, THAT'S THE NEXT THING IS TO TRY TO SEE IF WE COLLECT THOSE STATS AND IF PEOPLE, WELL, AND AGAIN, IF IT'S, IF IT'S OUT A LINE FOR THIS COMMITTEE, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FINE.
THAT'S, THAT'S REASONABLE FEEDBACK FOR ME, RIGHT? LIKE IF, IF YOU'D RATHER NOT, IF NOT GO DOWN THIS TRAIL AND FIND
[00:40:01]
WHAT THAT TO TOO, I WAS JUST KIND OF THINKING ABOUT IT.UM, WELL, PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT IS ONE OF OUR TARGETS.
SO, UM, IT CERTAINLY PLAYS TO THAT W AND I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT, HOW ALL THAT FOLDS IN, OR IF THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE TO BE DOING THAT.
UM, BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE WHO HAS THAT OB, UM, THE PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT.
I THINK WE JUST WENT OVER THEN.
I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THAT WAS OPERATIONS OR NOT, BUT I'M JUST A STICKER ON THE OLD E GENERATING THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UH, THE ACTIONS.
WELL, YEAH, WILLIAM, UM, WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD YOU'RE SAYING BREAKING UP.
WELL, SO DID HE, DID HE, IS HE GOING TO LOG BACK IN AND TAKE, GET OFF? WELL, WE'RE WAITING FOR HIM TO COME BACK TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE OEE.
SO, YOU KNOW WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT YESTERDAY, ALWAYS 17, NOT ALWAYS 17.1 0.2 0.3, BUT THE ALWAYS 17, THE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL PARTNER WITH FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND STAFF, BOTH WITHIN, AS WELL AS OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT TO MAKE TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATE SEAMLESSLY WITH THE TEACHING RESEARCH AND SUPPORT OPERATIONS OF THE DISTRICT.
SO THAT'S KIND OF A LITTLE BIT WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS A, I THINK LOOKING BEYOND HOW OUR STUDENTS USE THE TECHNOLOGY AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, THEY CAN USE IT AT HOME AND THAT THE PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TECHNOLOGY IS FOR AN ENGAGEMENT.
WHAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR TECHNOLOGY TO DO FOR OUR TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE TO DO IS LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT ARE THE GOALS NOW? POWERSCHOOL IS, ARE, IS IT AN LMS OR AN SIS? I DON'T EVEN KNOW.
I THINK IT'S LIKE A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
SO IT'S GOT OTHER COMPONENTS, RIGHT? BUT WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SPEND A BUNCH OF MONEY ON TECHNOLOGY, YOU HAVE CERTAIN GOALS.
SO IF ONE OF THE GOALS IS THIS IS A WAY TO COMMUNICATE GRADES AND ATTENDANCE TO PARENTS AND ENGAGE PARENTS IN THEIR KID'S SCHOOL, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT'S ACTUALLY OCCURRING, RIGHT? THAT, THAT GOAL THAT WE SET WHEN WE PURCHASE THIS EQUIPMENT OR PURCHASE THIS SOFTWARE, UM, THAT'S THE PIECE THAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
AND BECAUSE ANECDOTALLY, AS A PARENT IN THE SCHOOL, THERE'S SEVERAL TIMES WHERE, AND NOT RECENTLY, THIS WAS YEARS AGO, SO I'M NOT CALLING ANYTHING PARTICULAR RECENTLY, BUT LIKE NAVIANCE, WE ONLY USE 10% AND AUDIENCE.
AND I WAS OUT AT A COLLEGE THING AND THESE OTHER PARENTS WERE TALKING ABOUT, THEY DID THIS ON A VANCE AND MATT, AND I'M LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? UM, AND SO I ASKED OUR COUNCIL, I'M LIKE, WHY CAN'T WE GET THIS FUNCTIONALITY? AND SHE GOES, WELL, THEY JUST NEVER TRAINED US ON IT.
SO THAT'S THE KIND OF FEEDBACK THAT NEEDS TO GET BACK UP THE FOOD CHAIN.
SO FOR ME, THIS IS HOW OUR SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, IF WE GET THE DATA ON THAT, THAT HELPS WITH THAT.
AND I THINK THAT TIES INTO OUR OB, UM, I'M NOT SURE I AGREE ON THAT ONE.
UM, CAUSE WE, WE SUPPORT A DEMAND TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS THE DEMAND THAT COMES FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A FINE LINE, BUT I'M SURE WE'LL CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
OR, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT BELONGS TO SOMEONE, SOME COMMITTEE THAT BELONGS TO THEM, SOME OER BELONGS TO SOMEBODY ABOUT PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT OR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OR SO THAT'S, TO ME WHERE THE DEMAND GETS GENERATED AND TECHNOLOGY SAYS, WE GOT IT.
WE, WE, WE'RE GONNA, WE SUPPORT WHAT YOU WANT.
YOU'RE YOU HAVE THE GOAL, WE SUPPORT IT.
AND I THINK THAT DOES REPRESENT, AND YOU AND I WILL HAVE THIS ONGOING DEBATE AND I COMPLETELY RESPECT YOUR OPINION.
MY THOUGHT ON IT THOUGH, IS THAT IF WE'RE PURCHASING TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER TO INCREASE PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT, THAT THAT FALLS IN TECHNOLOGY.
AND I WAS JUST WATCHING A, A CNBC THIS MORNING AND THE NEW HEAD OF THE NYC.
SHE SAID, EVERY COMPANY IS A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT NOW, BECAUSE ALL IT'S ALL ABOUT DATA AND ALGORITHMS
[00:45:01]
AND PHOENIX.SO TO ME, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S NOT LIKE PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT EXISTS SEPARATELY FROM TECHNOLOGY.
WE LOOK AT HOW DO WE ENGAGE PARENTS? AND WE LOOK AT WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE AND WE PURCHASE THE TECHNOLOGY.
AND THEN WE LOOK AND SEE IF IT'S WORKING.
AS, AS I SAID BEFORE, THIS IS AN AGE OLD DEBATE.
WHETHER TECHNOLOGIES, WHETHER TECHNOLOGY IS THE ENABLER, UM, OR WHETHER TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS DEMAND.
UM, AND THERE THERE'S NO RIGHT ANSWER TO THAT.
FUTURE TOPICS, THANK YOU, MARK, BY THE WAY, NOW, FUTURE TOPICS, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THE COMMITTEE MIGHT GET RESET IN JANUARY.
SO WE WANT TO BE FAIRLY SPECIFIC IF WE HAVE FUTURE TOPICS.
SO THE NEXT COMMITTEE COULD PICK IT UP.
WELL, FOR ME, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING UP ON WHAT WE'VE ALREADY GOT OUT THERE, RIGHT? LIKE THE EXPORTS, AND I THINK THE COMPUTER LAB TOO, WE WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT AS A FOLLOWUP OR AT SOME POINT, UM, YEAH, THE MEDIA CENTER RE REWORK THAT INVOLVES, UM, OPERATIONALLY.
I BELIEVE I'VE GOT SOMETHING GOING ON HERE.
I BELIEVE THAT WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY, WE, UH, WE GOT TO TAKE A CRACK AT DISTILLING THE OES FOR TECHNOLOGY.
I AGREE THAT PROBABLY SHOULD BE THE FIRST THING WE DO NEXT TIME.
I'M GOING TO SUGGEST THAT I ASK COMMITTEE IS THAT, UH, THE PEOPLE ON THE EXISTING FINANCE COMMITTEE TAKE A CRACK AT IT, UH, TO HAVE FOR WHATEVER COMMITTEE WHOEVER'S ON THE COMMITTEE, IT'S THEY MEET IN JANUARY, RIGHT? IT'S JUST TAKING WHAT'S IN AND LOOKING TO PUT IT INTO A PARAGRAPH, PUT IT INTO A PARAGRAPH WITH BULLETS OR SOME FORMAT THAT WILL MAKE IT, UH, LESS ONEROUS A TO READ AND EASIER TO UNDERSTAND AND MORE GENERAL TO ALLOW, UH, THE, UH, STAFF TO FILL IN THE BLANKS ON WHEN THEY COME BACK WITH THEIR, HOW, HOW THEY'RE GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THE, UH, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE.
UM, MARK AND I HAD TALKED ABOUT, UM, BRINGING FORWARD, UH, 17.7 AND 17.8 FOR OUR NEXT MEETING.
UH, AND HIS STAFF WERE ALREADY GATHERING THE DATA.
UM, THOSE ARE, UM, REGARDING AUTHORIZED AND UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS OVER THE COMPUTERS, DISTRICT'S COMPUTER NETWORK AND, UH, SEMINATION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION, UM, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE FIRPA ACT.
UH, SO, UH, IF, IF I WAS GOING TO RECOMMEND THAT WE BRING THOSE TWO OES COMP COMBINED IN ONE REPORT, AND THEN ALSO, UH, MARK AND I SPOKEN THIS MORNING.
I DID WATCH A BIT OF THE MEETING YESTERDAY AND THE WORK SESSION.
AND, UH, WE'VE, UH, WE WERE PLANNING ON MEETING TO COMBINE SOME OF THE OES IN THE TECHNOLOGY, UH, O E AND COME FORWARD WITH A RECOMMENDATION TO BRING GROUPS OF O E BACK TOGETHER, INSTEAD OF BRINGING ONE EVERY SINGLE MONTH IN THE FUTURE AND TO COMBINE THEM AS, UM, MR. GEIER JUST MENTIONED AS WELL FOR FINANCE, THAT WE WOULD DO SOMETHING SIMILAR AND COME BACK WITH A RECOMMENDATION ON THAT TECHNOLOGY.
I THINK THAT'S IN LINE WITH WHAT WE DISCUSSED YESTERDAY, BUT ONE THING WE DIDN'T DISCUSS IS THAT NOW WE DO REPORT ON LIKE POINT THIS AND POINT THAT SEPARATELY, AND NOW YOU'RE ALL GOING TO ALL HAVE TO BE REPORTED ON TOGETHER.
UM, SO THAT'S TH THERE HAS TO BE A RETHINK ON THE SCHEDULING AND, UM, HOW LONG IT'S GOING TO TAKE, BUT, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S FOLLOW UP KIND OF A CONVERSATION IF WE DO THEM ALL TOGETHER.
AND WE'LL JUST NEED TO EXTEND THE TIME A LITTLE BIT TO ALLOW US TO GATHER ALL OF THAT INFORMATION.
BUT, UM, IF YOU'D LIKE US TO BRING TWO OF THE SUBSECTIONS IT
[00:50:01]
OR, OR WAIT, EITHER ONE IS THE FOURTH PREFERENCE FOR THE COMMITTEE'S PREFERENCE.AND THEN WE'LL ALSO DISCUSS AS DICK.
WE REALLY DO NEED TO DISCUSS HOW WE CONSOLIDATE.
UM, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTOOD.
WELL, NO, I JUST PUT IT, I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
WELL, I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE FINISHED ON TIME.
DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE'RE SAYING, WELL, NO, IT COULD BE COINCIDENCE.
IT COULD BE SPURIOUS CORRELATION, BUT HEY, BRING ME OUT THE BACK ROOM MORE OFTEN.
I'LL YOU I'LL USE THAT AGAIN TO TRY TO GET US A SECOND DATA POINT AND IF IT WORKS, WE'VE GOT TWO DATA POINTS.