By Taylor J. Hale
Staff Writer

STEVENS POINT – Stevens Point Area Public School District members unanimously approved the purchase of a new video surveillance system for the district at the Special School Board Meeting held July 15.

The district will work with Heartland Business Systems on the project, which will cost $1,327,048. Van Ert Electric also bid on the project, with a bid of $1,275,488. Superintendent Craig Gerlach noted that Heartlands services are slightly more expensive, but are worth the price.

“I have been dealing with technology systems for many years in many school districts,” Gerlach said. “When you deal with technology, it’s all behind the walls, and there’s no room for error. Heartland is a leading company as it relates to IT.”

The current analog video surveillance systems the district uses are obsolete and no longer supported as networks switch to digital foundations. Updates to the area’s school security systems were included in the Nov. 2018 referendum, with a budget of $2,100,000. Staff noted that the new system installed by Heartland would come in under budget.

The new system will add 662 endpoints and 21 servers in the district to record the area’s multiple school grounds. Heartland will also provide cyber security support for the video system, preventing hackers from accessing the stored or live footage.

The installation process is expected to start this August.

Contact Taylor J. Hale at [email protected] with Portage County news and information.