Lake Schools to upgrade technology access

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MILLBURY – Technology demands are taking off, even with the youngest students in the Lake School
District, and it’s time to upgrade the hardware and wiring, the board of education decided March 19.
At its regular monthly meeting, the board approved a wireless technology upgrade plan to bring the middle
and elementary schools up to the same capabilities as the high school.
Romanoff Electric, Toledo, will do the wiring for $23,269 and the Northwest Ohio Computer Association
will do the hardware for $10,947.
Donna Zalar, technology coordinator, broke down the computer usage: there are 263 at the high school, 147
at the middle school, 154 at Lake Elementary and 10 for the board of education office.
The demand for Internet access is increasing as students bring tablets, phones and/or computers to
classes.
"I’m going to guess that every student here has at least one device in their pocket on our
network," Zalar said.
The high school is more than capable of handling the need, she said, with 64 managed wireless access
points. The middle school has 15 Apple access points and the elementary has 10. The amount at the two
lower schools is equivalent to what a home might have for wireless use, Zalar said.
"And they’re handling 300 devices and they’re not handling it well anymore," she said.
"That network cannot handle that kind of connection."
Zalar estimated that she has to reconnect a dozen Chromebooks every week at the elementary.
"In Lake Elementary, it’s kind of like a train wreck," she said.
Along with the one-time costs of rewiring and installing hardware, there will also be monthly bill
increases.
The current contract with only the high school’s access points is $17,484 per year. But Zalar said that
receives a 70-percent e-rate discount.
The middle school, with 40 access points, will have a one-time cost of $14,832, which will also be
discounted 70 percent. The yearly cost through the 2017-18 school year will be $9,733, not including the
discount.
Lake Elementary, with 37 access points, will have a one-time cost of $12,265, which will also be
discounted 70 percent. The yearly cost through the 2017-18 school year will be $9,443, not including the
discount.
The board also decided to add a modular with six access points, for coaches, transportation and
conference rooms. That upgrade will have a one-time cost of $2,899, which will also be discounted 70
percent. The yearly cost through the 2017-18 school year will be $1,717, not including the discount.
The discount, Zalar said, is based on incomes of residents in the Lake School District, and is not
expected to decrease. She stressed the need for doing the upgrades now.
"Technology is not going away," Zalar said. "If you don’t do it now, you’re going to have
to do it next year."
Board members said they supported the investment.
"We have to do that for our kids to keep them competitive," said board member John Ervin.
The board also heard a presentation from Treasurer Jeff Carpenter on where Lake ranks in Ohio for
expenditure by pupil and the performance index.
In 2013, Lake spent $6,906 per pupil and had a performance index of 101.8, he said.
This compares to the top school on the list, Ottawa Hills, with a $12,452 per pupil expenditure and
performance index of 110.
Other local schools on the list are Bowling Green with a $9,121 per pupil expenditure and 103.2
performance index; North Baltimore, $9,077 per pupil expenditure and 94.8 performance index; Eastwood,
$8,993 per pupil expenditure and 105.9 performance index; Elmwood with $8,584 per pupil expenditure and
96.7 performance index; Northwood, $8,163 per pupil expenditure and 96 performance index; Perrysburg,
$7,918 per pupil expenditure and 106 performance index; Otsego, $7,187 per pupil expenditure and 99
performance index; and Rossford, $11,574 and 98.4 performance index.
"We’re the only district under $7,000 (per pupil expenditure)," Carpenter said.
He pointed out that Lake’s performance index is also high, when compared to other schools.
"Even being at the bottom of the list with expenses per pupil, we’re in the middle with
performance," Carpenter said.

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