School Board approves $440K cost for high school computer network upgrade

It was one of the costlier items in the Decorah High School renovation plan, and the Decorah Community School Board voted Monday night to award a bid of $440,107 to Communications Engineering Company (CEC) of Hiawatha, IA, for computer network equipment. That cost drives the total technology related cost beyond the originally estimated $1.2 million for the project.  Additional costs will be incurred for installation and programming of the new systems.

Considerable discussion revolved around the escalation of technology costs. Superintendent Mike Haluska acknowledged that the costs were high, but noted that the original estimate was a general scope estimate by the building architects at the project outset. He also said that in financing estimates for bonds, he preferred to understate those potential costs in hopes of keeping bond financing amounts lower, knowing that the district had other funds (PPEL) available for such projects. It was agreed that the technology upgrade was necessary to keep up, and progress toward the eventual initiation of a one-to-one computer program for students.