School officials consider computer network transformation

By Jay Turner

The Canton Public Schools may soon be on the verge of a dramatic and exciting computer network overhaul, one that would change the face of computing for all CPS users while generating substantial annual savings for the district for years to come.

However, as the School Committee learned earlier this week, such a system would not come cheap, with the current estimate pegged at $270,000 — or two thirds of the entire FY12 cash capital budget.

Committee chairman Reuki Schutt appeared to put it best late in the meeting when, in response to John Bonnanzio’s remark that the network upgrade “makes an enormous amount of sense,” Schutt added that “it’s also an enormous amount of money.”

The proposed new system, outlined by network administrator Mike Wentland and director of technology Colleen McCarthy at Tuesday night’s School Committee meeting, would streamline all of the school system’s data and programs into a single, centralized network and would require just four servers, all managed from one location. The current system, by comparison, utilizes 21 servers and relies on a separate domain for each of the five school buildings.

In addition, the software on the new network would be “virtualized,” making it accessible to any school user via a log-in system from any device with an internet connection at any time.

A sales representative from Hub Tech, a local IT company that specializes in this type of network transformation, explained to School Committee members that students, once the network is fully virtualized, would be able to access their school work — or any computer program available on the network — from their home computer or laptop, or even their cell phone. They could also surf the web from home while being fully protected by the school system’s filters and content blockers. “The educational benefits to the end user are enormous,” the sales rep said.

Despite the steep price tag and despite their initial skepticism, all five committee members seemed to be intrigued by the new system’s possibilities, not only from an efficiency standpoint but also for its potential to improve teaching and learning.

“This is so clear to me that education is just going to flower here in unimaginable ways,” said Bonnanzio, who was also impressed by the potential for cost savings.

Wentland said the new system, by collapsing 21 servers into four, would use considerably less power, thereby saving the district between $25,000 and $45,000 annually. He said they would also no longer need to replace school computers every few years, as all of the programs would be controlled by the servers — effectively turning the computers into connection devices.

While no vote was taken Tuesday night, committee members did request that the Hub Tech representatives make a brief presentation at their November 18 meeting to further explain the technology, and Bonnanzio suggested they invite a representative from the Finance Committee because it is such a “big ticket” item.

The School Committee plans to make a final decision on the new computer network, along with all other proposed projects in the FY12 capital budget, at its meeting on December 2.

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