SJSD prompts intercom upgrades

Oct. 25—Should an emergency happen on the campus of a local school, a well-functioning intercom might be a real difference maker, and the argument has been made that it's time to gradually upgrade these systems.

The St. Joseph Board of Education voted on Monday 4-2 to open bids from competing firms to explain how they can best invest about $500,000 in renovation of aging internal communications networks. The $500,000 amounts to what the St. Joseph School District is capable of spending on this project at this time. Further work would need to be put off until after the start of fiscal year 2024, which begins on July 1, 2023.

Smaller elementary campuses, like Bessie Ellison School, would cost, on a ballpark figure, of $25,000 to $30,000 to renovate. The larger schools, like Hosea Elementary, would be more expensive, approaching $50,000, as said during the presentation by SJSD official Jacob Kelly.

Middle and high schools are not set for upgrades right now because they would be more expensive and push the project beyond the current capacity to fund it. Central High School alone would cost at least $100,000 for an intercom project.

"First of all, a lot of intercoms are functioning barely," said Kelly, director of technology and data management. "In some of our schools, they've abandoned the intercom system, down to using the phones to get in contact with people in a classroom from the office. Right now, we have limited security when it comes to sending out notifications. Because, a lot of your security depends on not letting people hear what's going on outside the classroom. So, if you can send notifications to a classroom without putting it on throughout the school, then you eliminate that problem."

Board members Rick Gilmore and Isaura Garcia voted "no" on opening bids. Board President David Foster, Vice President LaTonya Williams, along with members Kim Miller and Kenneth Reeder, voted "yes." Board member Phil Vandel did not attend the meeting.

"I just don't yet see the need for this kind of investment," Gilmore said. "There's a lot left to be discussed about what we'll be spending here."

Garcia declined to comment. Foster said the idea is to cover as many schools as possible with the $500,000 currently available for FY 2023.

"When we don't upgrade these things periodically, we end up having to spend more money on something like that," Foster said. "So, at the end of the day, the board decided to back up this opportunity to go out for (competitive bids). We'll see, when the bids come in, where that goes."

The matter will see another vote at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Troester Media Center.

Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem