Technology Department Review

August 2024 – April 2026

Major Wins and Gains

1.1 Cybersecurity, Governance, and Data Privacy

  • Security posture transformation: District security benchmarks improved substantially across core identity, cloud, and administrative platforms, with legacy authentication and encryption risks reduced through hardening work.
  • National recognition: Earned the CoSN Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) Mini-Seal for Leadership; TLE Business Mini-Seal application submitted.
  • Funding secured: Multi-year federal cybersecurity pilot funding awarded to strengthen managed detection, response, endpoint protection, and email security capabilities.
  • Staff training and access protection: District-wide multi-factor authentication and phishing-awareness training launched to reduce account compromise risk.
UPImproved security posture
IDStronger access controls
$Multi-year security funding

1.2 Network Infrastructure and Security

  • Backbone upgrades: Major E-Rate network cabling and fiber modernization completed across multiple district facilities, with remaining work planned through the regular capital improvement cycle.
  • Firewall and filtering upgrades: Core network security and content-filtering platforms were modernized to improve reliability, visibility, and student safety protections.
  • Bandwidth recovery: Revised media access controls reclaimed significant network capacity for instructional tools and reduced unnecessary congestion.
  • Physical security enhancements: Visitor management, staff identification, paging, and environmental monitoring systems were strengthened across district facilities.
NETModernized network backbone
CAPRecovered instructional capacity

1.3 Classroom Innovation and Asset Management

  • Classroom modernization: 40+ Newline Q-Series/Q Pro interactive displays and 60+ Vivi wireless screen mirroring devices deployed, replacing outdated Epson projectors.
  • 1:1 device deployment and recovery: Student Chromebooks and teacher laptops deployed for 2025–2026; device recovery controls strengthened to reduce loss and support responsible asset management.
  • Interactive learning environments: Lü System installed in the Howe Elementary and Kenneth Murphy gyms.
  • AI integration: MagicSchool AI and Google Gemini licenses rolled out for teachers and administrators.
40+Displays
60+Vivi devices
2.1kChromebooks
275Teacher laptops

Notable Challenges

2.1 External Vendor Breaches and Software Disruptions

  • PowerSchool data breach (Dec. 2024 / Jan. 2025): Managed communications and community response after the third-party breach; coordinated with neighboring districts to provide credit monitoring to affected families.
  • Filtering software disruption: A legacy filtering transition created a temporary access disruption, requiring urgent configuration cleanup and endpoint remediation.
!Vendor risks

2.2 Audit Findings and Documentation Gaps

  • External cybersecurity review: An outside review showed progress relative to peer benchmarks while identifying several areas where documentation, recovery validation, and risk-management practices needed further maturity.
  • Response: Prioritized incident response documentation updates and established a more formal recovery testing schedule.
!Improvement areas Documentation and recovery

2.3 Rising Hardware Costs and Physical Infrastructure Limits

  • Fiscal sustainability of 1:1 devices: Rising Chromebook costs made the 3-year refresh cycle unsustainable, leading to a shift from a K/3/6 cycle to a K/6 cycle to maximize the 8-year Auto-Update Expiration (AUE).
  • Legacy cabling and structural hurdles: Older pathways and facility constraints delayed some physical security and network modernization work, requiring phased remediation.
KK/3/6 → K/6
88-year AUE