The board approved a plan to replace the district’s mixed legacy and end‑of‑life phone systems with a districtwide Voice over IP (VoIP) solution presented by technology staff, who said the upgrade will reduce monthly phone expenses and enable future integrations with safety and intercom systems.

Technology staff described two options: a partial upgrade of the existing vendor-managed VoIP system at an estimated cost of roughly $250,000 plus recurring licensing near $52,000 per year, or a full districtwide deployment using an open-source FreePBX platform. Staff recommended the districtwide deployment; they presented cost estimates of about $200,000 for the initial purchase and much lower ongoing licensing costs (staff cited annual licensing near $2,500 and estimated monthly phone‑service charges falling to $5,000–$6,000 from about $16,000).

Staff said the project is funded through E‑Rate program dollars the district previously deferred (rebates and program allocations earmarked for technology projects). The base case staff presented estimated a return on investment in roughly 16–18 months from the reduction in monthly phone costs. Board members voted to approve the purchase and implementation, and staff said installation would be staged with a goal to complete either before school starts or no later than December.

Why it matters: The move removes support risk from aging phone hardware and reduces recurring communications costs; the district also gains a technology platform that can integrate with other systems.

Action taken: The board approved the recommendation to implement the districtwide VoIP replacement and proceed with phone purchases funded through E‑Rate allocations.