The PLT #3 School Board held a special meeting on Tuesday night to discuss approving a contract for a new phone system throughout the district.
The need for a new system came to a head recently with Tampico Elementary School unable to use their in school system due to malfunctioning equipment. The current system uses Mytel Hardware and Frontier Phone Service. Lensing said she was told by District technical staff that the current system was outdated and would only get less reliable.
Tampico Principal Jim Geer said, “We knew the system was becoming antiquated but did not expect to go out completely, which is what we found when we returned from spring break.” He added that the school has also had problems with its land line through Frontier (438-2255).
The board agreed to a 60 month contract with Crexendo at a cost of $17,782.04 for equipment and installation and a $1,000 monthly service fee. The district currently pays $1,300 monthly for phone service. The contract includes all new phone hardware throughout the district.
Lensing along with district technical supervisor Gary McDaniel and representatives with Twin States Technical Services sorted through three proposals before agreeing on Crexendo.
The system uses Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which uses the district’s Internet system for connectivity. Lensing said one of the advantages of the system is that it has a 100% uptime guarantee, meaning the system will accept calls even if the Internet system goes down.
Another main reason for going with Crescendo was their ability to get started on the project within two weeks, starting with the Tampico building.
The board will hold their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 26th at 7:00PM.
