The Shawano School Board signed off Aug. 26 on more than $100,000 being spent to upgrade its door access security.
Currently, the school district is using Tecc Security Systems, based in Neenah, for door access in all four of its schools. Recently, the district entered into a contract with Genetec, a company headquartered in Canada, when it upgraded its security cameras at the schools, and it’s believed that things would be easier if Genetec handled both the cameras and door access, because they are both security issues, according to Lucas Koenig, the district’s technology director.
Koenig told the school board that the current door access system has had operational issues. Oftentimes, the changes are made manually in multiple locations. The system has proprietary hardware that does not integrate well with other systems and has had failures.
“The mobile management and administration software is clunky at best,” Koenig said. “It’s a per-school control, and then the app doesn’t fully tie in with our network as far as an active directory and what’s going on with our users.”
With the recommendation to set up the system with Genetec, the district would be able to combine door access, video surveillance, alarms and analytics into a single interface, according to Koenig. When doors are open, they will be automatically linked to recorded video for instant verification and faster investigation in the event of an incident.
“It makes it a lot more efficient for us,” Koenig said. “It combines events and video together, so when someone badges in through a door, the system can automatically pull up the camera that goes with that badge. Right now, our two systems do not work together like that.”
Koenig said the district would be able to manage identification systems in one place and eliminate the need for duplicate data entry. Without the proprietary hardware for Tecc, the district would be able to easily expand its security needs to new sites.
“Right now, our process with a new hire is we create a user and an active directory, and then we go the door access, and we create them in there and make sure they have all their rights, etc., separately inside that door access,” Koenig said. “With this system, when we create an active directory, we’ll have groups assigned in that active directory. We’ll assign them to a group, and they’re automatically in the Genetec system, so we don’t have to go in there and recreate it. If a user leaves, it’s just once we take them out of the system.”
The Genetec system would allow the district, if it decides to do so in the future, to set up a system where certain users could only utilize certain doors, according to Koenig. It’s an indication that the district could be taking seriously a SCHS athlete’s suggestion of allowing students access to the gymnasium and weight rooms to practice their skills.
The total cost of the project is $101,648.85, coming from the district’s capital projects fund. However, Koenig noted that the district has applied for a Community Oriented Policing Services grant that, if approved, would pay for 75% of the project. The district is expecting the approval in September.
The upgrades to Genetec systems will not happen until a holiday break lengthy enough to allow for the system changes when students and staff are not present.
The board voted unanimously to approve the change, but board member Christine McKinnies questioned if it was wise to spend that amount of money in a time when school districts and municipal governments are having to do more with less.
“I love the extra security and all of the bells and whistles and everything new, but I’m hearing a lot that we’re tightening our belts now in our district and in the buildings,” McKinnies said. “Where does our door system lie? Is it a necessity to do this?”
Shawn Mathwich, district buildings and grounds director, said that the project would cut down on the amount of time the technology staff is spending setting up new users and making changes to existing ones, which would save money in the process.
Koenig agreed, noting that having the two separate systems requires a lot of replicative work.
“This will allow for streamlining both my job and Shawn’s job in the sense of planning,” Koenig said. “It’s a really efficient solution.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
