Seaford weighs uses for Smart Schools funds

The Seaford School District Board of Education discussed how it might spend its state allocation of Smart Schools bond funding at its July 16 meeting. The district has been allocated approximately $1.1 million from New York State through the Smart Schools Bond Act, which was approved by voters last year, to provide money to improve learning for students by funding capital projects for educational technology and infrastructure in public schools. There is no deadline to use the funds.

Frederick Kaden, Seaford’s director of technology, suggested that the money go to infrastructure upgrades within the buildings to increase cabling and bandwidth in each school. He said he would like to see two 100-megawatt Internet pipes, or one gigabyte, in each building to provide for “load balance.”

Kaden said that while the money could be used for front-end devices such as computers and iPads, the Smart Schools money would not cover costs for software or repairs to the equipment. “We also must have loaner equipment available for parochial students,” he said.

However the bond does cover the Internet provider access cost, which now runs about $40,000 a year under a BOCES contract. This second internet path “could cost another $40,000,” Kaden said.

School Board Trustee Stacie Stark suggested the money could be used for additional security upgrades and asked about the planned upgrades in the district’s five-year instructional technology plan.

“This year, the buildings are being wired for access points,” Kaden replied. “We are also converting switches so that there will be no bottlenecks.”

Trustee Patrick Rail asked if the Smart Schools money could be used to fund the improvements already in the five-year IT plan.

“Yes we could use it for switches and core routers,” Kaden replied. “But we are working with BOCES to help defray the cost and we get back 40 to 45 percent in aid.”

Brian Conboy, superintendent of schools, said, “Many of the superintendents are saying they will use the money to rewire buildings so the kids can take assessments online and it is paperless. I think infrastructure is what we should use this for.”

Brian Fagan, vice president of the school board, said the district is looking to make significant improvements and board members and administrators must think carefully about how the money is spent. Board President Bruce Kahn agreed, adding, “A lot has to go on before we spend this money,” he said. “Let’s form a committee to review requirements. It’s all a process.”