001and protocols like i think that that's something that you know if we're doing that district-wide maybe we as a school committee should also be training ourselves on the same type of how you're doing your database decision making so that we're also following those kind of protocols as well maybe we can do a school committee workshop this summer yeah i love that okay anything else on this section we're at the last section Monitoring infrastructure and Director DeSantis is going to have to help me with this one because he and Director D'Angelo worked on this together. So modernizing infrastructure, it comes under improved technology network and communication infrastructure in all schools. And then there are some measurements there for specific things that... Director DucAngelo wants to work on. And then we also have upgrade and maintain modernized
002facilities that maximize student learning prioritized by area of need. And there are a few markers for in there as well. I can speak to them just a little further. In relation to the improved technology network, communication infrastructure, many, most of these points that are going to be our measurables are also going to be captured within our IT plan, sorry, IT capital plan moving forward. So there will be a timeline already incorporated with... each one of these individual action items. A lot of these are monitor and access, but a lot of these will need replacement. So we do want to have that replacement schedule at least partially mapped out. And if that changes based on need, obviously, you know, we can make updates from there. As far as the modernized facilities portion, the vast majority of
003Our prioritization is going to be based on the facility's condition assessment and our availability of funding and our immediacy of need. So, you know, we're going to try to strike the right balance. You know and a lot of it will depend on what happens with funding related to the facilities condition assessment So we'll we'll have a better idea of what that'll look like moving forward very soon the other key point within the facilities section is examining building entry control equipment to maximize the student and staff safety as well as emergency responder accessibility this has been a hot button topic for building leadership, ensuring that the entryways specifically to each building are easily accessible, like I said, by emergency responders, but also have the ability to isolate a problem and contain it within one specific area
004and not let it spill out further within the school. I will tell you that I've started looking into a school violence prevention grant. that would cover three quarters of the cost for making IT and facilities related upgrades as they would directly impact school violence prevention. So I believe the entry system and accessibility would qualify under that criteria. So that's something that myself, Director Caron, and Director D'Arcangelo will be looking into. And that's something that I'm actively going through the process of submitting a grant for. Question referencing those aspects with MSBA grants. If we were to reapply for, say, Shepherd Hill, what part of that would – does that come under the umbrella of the MSBA grant? Yes. If we were to do a retrofit or a replace? Yes. So in our planning stages – Do
005we have a two-track approach of replacement for the, plus our, I'm thinking our capital improvement plan with IT infrastructure and building maintenance. Are we thinking two-track where if we don't get an MSBA grant, these are going to be needs that no matter what are going to have to be addressed? Or do we try to front load a different school and back? Backlog those in case we get the MSB. Well that'll kind of be the balancing act that we have to perform is you know a are we going to get approved for MSBA funding And if not, what are our alternatives and how do we then fund it right after that? So yeah director Karen does a very good job keeping me updated on Whatever immediate needs we may have at the time Of course, we
006can't address every one of the facilities needs in our operating budget But we try to pick and choose on an annual basis which of our projects then become the most needy right? It will you know, we backfill based on that, but that's why you know MSBA grant is great But I'm looking for other grant sources as well So right, you know, I don't want to say that that'll be our only option and if MSBA falls through or you know municipalities don't wanna don't want to fund then you know, what are our other alternatives? So that's why I'm going down that road now to try to get ahead of that in case that has an occurrence. Madam Chair, if I could add to the MSBA process as well. You have to think about from beginning from
007application to shovel ready is a six year span. At least. Yes, and one of the things that they really look at is are you maintaining buildings or did you actually let them go to try to get into the MSBA. They do look at that. You actually get points for funding if you continue maintenance. So if you tick off, you know, you install the new phone system. You can get points because you're continuing to maintain the building and try to upgrade it. And it's transferable because you can pick that up and bring it to another facility. You could. Components of it, pieces of it, all that kind of stuff. So it's not that you can just kind of delay something waiting for MSBA because, again, that could be a situation. No, I was thinking more along
008the lines of what you were alluding to as a phone system because that could be more of a plug-and-play and redeploy if we need it versus we replaced a door frame. Right. you know picking the battles of those correct yes great point great point yeah but keep in mind that this is where i struggle but msba could be a six-year process before you put a shovel on the ground yeah yeah but again to mr uh desantis's point is picking those battles and figuring out how to line up the projects and that's why we have you know our facilities condition assessment based capital improvement plan you know we tried to come up with that timeline and address those immediate needs in a way that is