Safety concerns a factor in decision to purchase new phone system for RC schools

Safety concerns a factor in decision to purchase new It was time for a change. Even chief financial officer Don Schaedig, who tries to save a buck whenever he can for the Rogers City Area Schools, threw in the towel on the current phone system, which has been struck by lightning twice and deemed obsolete. The current system was purchased in 1992 from Regulus in Troy, which is no longer in business, making it nearly impossible to locate parts.

?We can?t rely on being able to call out,? said Mike Rivenburg, district technology coordinator. ?You can pick up a phone, and you may or may not be able to call out, so there is a major safety issue here…? Superintendent Ed Schultz?s recommendation to update the communication system, using monies from the building and site fund, was approved by unanimous vote.

THE DISTRICT will purchase the new Nortel Norstar system from Telephone Support Systems of Gaylord at a cost of $43,752.50. Schultz said the system was slated for upgrade next year, but due to the continuing problems coupled with safety concerns, the project was moved up.

?When I made that announcement at the beginning of the school year, it?s probably the only thing I said that caused people to smile,? said Schultz. ?I guess people are in favor of this, and it is long overdue.

?I think, what we?re going to get for our money, is a state-of-the-art, up-to-date communication system, and not just telephones.? Nortel Norstar will offer caller ID and voice mail, in order to improve efficiency between school personnel, parents and the community, but more importantly, it will provide some reliability.

?When the power goes out, we end up losing the programming and we end up paying somebody to come back and reprogram it at a very expensive rate,? said Rivenburg.

THE UNIT in the kitchen at Rog

ers City Elementary School doesn?t work properly, and if 911 is called from the elementary, emergency crews would respond to the high school. Plus, school personnel are not able to call between buildings. ?The other safety feature I?m very interested in is the elementary does not have an intercom system,? said Schultz. ?With speaker phones in each class, the principal simply has to pick up the phone in her office and push the ?all call? button. Everyone would know instantly,? if there were an emergency. Board member Mike Marx asked if the system was compatible, so it wouldn?t need to be replaced five years from now.

?I take it that this is not a fly-by-night system,? said Marx. ?That?s one of the reasons we were happy we got a bid from them,? said Rivenburg of the lone company to bid on the project. The Gaylord firm is finishing installing a system in Onaway and has done the majority of the other districts in northern Michigan, including Posen.

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