By Bradley Zint, Special to the Independent
To keep up with classroom demand for more video content, the Laguna Beach Unified School District is working to upgrade its wireless internet technology this summer.
The project is set to cost $183,000 and begin after July 1, the start of the district’s new fiscal year. All campuses will be upgraded.
The current wireless access points are six years old, said Leisa Winston, deputy superintendent of human resources and instructional services. As part of the upgrade, the old technology will be sold off at market rates.
“This upgrade will keep our wireless systems current and able to accept security updates for a projected six years,” she said in an email.
The upgrade will also include replacing wiring, some of which is more than 10 years old and known to fail.
“This is not a matter of complaints about the network,” Winston said. “It is a matter of keeping a current, secure and fast network for our district.”
School district officials saved an estimated 40% by getting the federal “e-rate” discount, which the project qualified for. Laguna received notification of the discount last spring.
The faster system is anticipated to help teachers who supplement their instruction with video, including from Nepris, a software platform used by more than 70,000 educators. The brand describes itself as connecting “educators and learners with a network of industry professionals, virtually, bringing real-world relevance and career exposure to all students.”
The board approved spending for the project in March 2019. Of the four received bids, the winner was AAA Network Solutions, a Buena Park-based company that has been servicing local schools and governments since 1994.
