By Jason KUROSU

The Glendale Unified School District Board of Education continued its series of updates at regular meetings on projects funded by Measure S, the bond measure passed last April for facility and technological upgrades at GUSD campuses.

GUSD Financial Officer Eva Lueck provided updates on the funding side of Measure S. The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee oversees how funds are spent on Measure S projects and Lueck presented part of a CBOC document that compiled data on sources of funding for these projects, some from Measure S bonds and some from the state budget, along with updates on how Measure S projects are developing. It is hoped that this document will be made available for the general public in online form soon when it can be updated frequently.

Later on in the meeting, there was a showcase of the technology which will become part of GUSD classrooms through Measure S. Deputy Superintendent John Garcia led the “lesson plan,” demonstrating the abilities of one of the proposed SMART boards, simultaneously showcasing the technology while showing how lessons will be taught, as Garcia educated the board on technological terminology.

Garcia identified some of the components of the new infrastructure, including a Network Operating Center facility to be on site at the GUSD building, more data storage, more servers, data protectors and more wireless access at schools. Garcia went more in depth on these infrastructural materials, which would supplant some of the district’s current technology, including using HP blade servers (which have the advantages of greater reliability and less power consumption) rather than the current ones. Garcia described using the blade servers as “reducing our current server count from 113 to only 10.”

Much of what the Superintendent’s Facility Advisory Technology Subcommittee came up with as far as what technological and infrastructural updates to make is modeled after what the Poway Unified School District did with their schools with Proposition C in 2008.

The Measure S technological and infrastructural updates will use up to 20% of Measure S funds over the life of the bond. Garcia identified that amount as about $54 million, along with establishing a timeline that outlined installing infrastructure at school sites during the summer and completing the projects at around January of 2013.

“It’s an aggressive timeline, but we feel we can get it done,” said Garcia.

To view the SMART board demonstration, visit GUSD’s website to see video of the board meeting.

  Jason Kurosu