Telecommunications rooms in the Oakfield-Alabama School District received the worst grade among technology systems sections, according to the recent Technology Conditions Survey conducted for the district. The O-A Board of Education heard the TCS presentation at this month’s regular board meeting.
Overall, the survey prepared by consultants with Archi-Technology, graded O-A technology a 3.2 out of 4, a score that is “pretty good, all things considered,” according to said Mark Cazer, Project Manager at Archi-Technology.
The top grades in the survey went to student devices, teacher technology, and security systems.
“Generally, most of the problems in all of the districts we have seen is going to be in those telecommunication rooms,” Cazer said.
The comprehensive survey looks at everything technology related, including network connectivity, security systems, communication systems, instructional technology, computing devices, and software subscriptions. The telecommunications rooms are graded as part of the survey of technology infrastructure - cables, pathways, and spaces.
Cazer reported that most of the telecommunications rooms in the district need either to be relocated or upgraded to meet industry standards for size and accessibility, water threats, security, equipment grounding, and cable management. “TR fixes can be expensive,” Cazer said, citing one estimate of $500,000 for one of the TR fix recommendations. “Typically, you build it into a capital improvement plan.”
Cazer then explained the final part of the report, which is a 10-year “road map” that shows how the technology upgrades and maintenance can be prioritized and funded over in the coming decade.
