Free-Lake School Committee gets a tech wake-up call

he Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee received an informative wake-up call at Wednesday’s meeting regarding what technological needs and upgrades the district will need over the next several years.

FREETOWN — The Freetown-Lakeville Regional School Committee received an informative wake-up call at Wednesday’s meeting regarding what technological needs and upgrades the district will need over the next several years.

Director of Technology Craig Machamer outlined where the district is and where it needs to go with all its computer systems and wireless infrastructure.

Beginning in 2013, the district has been incorporating Google Chromebook carts and Tech Tub charging and storing systems in every school. The current inventory of Chromebooks, after completed deployment planned at Assawompset Elementary, is 1,355 for the district.

Machamer said many of the older Chromebooks will stop receiving automatic updates by the summer, meaning many will have to be replaced over time. While the older models will still be functional, the ceasing of updates means the possible loss of administrative capabilities, as well as greater susceptibility to hacking.

Replacing of the units with immediate need could run upward of $50,000. “Half my tech budget will go to replacing Chromebooks,” said Machamer, who will have to upgrade in 2019 and 2020. Much like older PCs, the older Chromebooks can be repurposed for lower level usage; the district will be looking into selling the old tech to outside vendors.

Machamer also said the 5-year-old wireless system needs to be replaced. “The trajectory of the change of wireless technology is steep. The technology is much different now than from five years ago. We’ve reached our capacity with the system,” said Machamer.

He pointed to multiple “weak spots” in all schools where wireless internet access is lost and Chromebooks can’t connect. He also called outdoor sports areas, such as the Apponequet football field, as “broken areas,” where internet is needed for coaches to access programs on their tablets.

Internet bandwidth will need to be increased over time, too. Current capacity is 1.39 gigabytes per second; Machamer recommends an increase to 3 gigabytes per second. The district spends $1,833 a month on wireless access and will only increase with time.

Schools have “seen a shift in the way we deliver computer services over the last 10 years. More cloud-based services like G Suite for education, our various student information systems, and less local infrastructure to run them. The focus has become on devices in the hands of students and staff, along with a robust and resilient internet connection.”

The committee agreed that a detailed, long-term plan needs to be formulated on how to address the district’s growing technological needs.

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Food Service Program Director Andrea Fay said that, in general, the program is received positively as students are being provided greater access to breakfast and are taking advantage of the options; in addition, sales increased and costs are down from the previous year.

A brief acknowledgment was made to the recent announcement that the USDA was rolling back nutritional standards established under the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Under this rollback, sodium levels may be maintained instead of reduced and the percentage of whole grains used for meals will drop to 50 percent. Fay said the rollback won’t affect meals’ whole-grain percentage, but added that “it gives kids more variety and gives Food Service more flexibility.”

Also, the committee approved a motion to continue Apponequet’s French Exchange Program. French teacher Marie Hartley and history teacher Dan Rutledge approached the committee to discuss the program, which has been active since 2013. It was described by Hartley as a “cultural and linguistic immersion trip,” where students will go to school in France for three weeks and live with families approved by the school. Simultaneously, the French students from those participating families come to Apponequet High School for three weeks. “It’s a unique experience that forges connections,” said Hartley.

Despite past success with the program, the committee was a bit apprehensive over the recent political and civil unrest going on in France. “It’s stressful thinking about it. We have safety measures and are staying aware of the news. If something happens at that time, we won’t go to Paris,” explained Hartley.

The Exchange Program is planned for 2020.