South Putnam board looks to purchase new security cameras

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Security issues were the topic of discussion during the South Putnam School Board's monthly meeting.

Steve Ricketts of Five Star Technologies came before the board Monday evening with a quote for several new digital security cameras for the fitness area, a stepping-stone for bringing the corporation into the 21st century.

"The system is not just for today, it's something we can build upon," Ricketts noted. "It will be night and day compared to what you're seeing now with the analogue cameras."

The new system will use a software platform, ONSSI, which is an industry standard for video surveillance software that works with any type of camera.

"Currently, all of our cameras are analogue cameras and not digital," Ricketts explained. "This will be putting in digital high mega-pixel cameras and there's even some options to tie in our existing cameras if you decided to go that route."

Although, Ricketts advised there is a converter box for the analogue cameras, the board seemed to agree that purchasing all new cameras would be the way to go.

"There would be an additional cost of $2,500," he said. "It can be added at any time. I understand there is some concern with running two separate systems. Having everything under one system makes a lot of sense. If we phase in those cameras over the next two to three years, that encoder box will basically won't be used."

Ricketts also noted that with the new system, it will also take up less space on South Putnam's network through the Edge system.

"It's all based off of motion. So the cameras will only record when there's motion and you won't have a lot of overhead on your network," Ricketts said. "We've been working the last couple years to build up our network and at this time we have the power and the switches in place to where we can effectively do this now."

Currently the board has nearly 20 cameras. However, South Putnam personnel noted that they would like to see much more than that.

"There's no such thing as too many cameras," South Putnam High School Principal Kieth Puckett said. "Wherever you put them, you want more."

Puckett advised the board that he would like to see cameras placed near the bus loading/unloading zone, which is currently a blind spot.

Hearing his recommendation, the board agreed with the idea and asked Ricketts to come back with a revised quote, which would not only cover the new fitness center with four cameras with two on the exterior of the building.

The initial investment for the new system would cost the corporation nearly $15,000. However, the board chose to table the purchase until the December meeting when Ricketts comes back with a revised quote for the two additional cameras, which would face the bus loading zone.

The board also heard from Principal Puckett, who gave a brief recap of the last school year for both the high school and the middle school.

Puckett began his presentation by noting South Putnam had a record-breaking graduating class last year, a class that not only broke graduation records throughout the county, but set records in its AP courses as well.

"Our seniors were fantastic," Puckett said. "A lot of our school grade and our recognition came from our seniors, and we want to give due credit to them."

Puckett also noted that once again the Department of Education awarded the high school a grade of an 'A' with the middle school receiving an 'A' as well.

"For the first time we were also awarded four-star (top quarter of schools in the state for English 10 and Algebra 1) status," Puckett explained. "The board had a big role in that, when you separated the middle school from the high school you put us into a different area where they could judge us on our own merits. We had just as good of numbers for several years, but because we were judged with the middle school the parameters changed."

With the middle school struggling in 2012-13, it received a 'D,' South Putnam personnel were determined to remedy it by working as a team to get scores up.

"If you want your school to go from a 'D' to an 'A' you need to get your kids to grow and that's what we did last year," Puckett said.

Overall, South Putnam Middle School earned a 4.0 in language arts and 3.5 in math, which brought it to 3.75 or a solid 'A.'

"It was hard work for them, truly hard work," Puckett added. "Congratulations to those teachers and students."

The high school continued its success, not only earning a 96.4 percent graduation rate, but earning 4.0 on college and career readiness, a 3.5 in the English end of course assessment as well as a 4.0 in Algebra 1 to total a 3.88 or a solid 'A' for the high school overall grade.

Advanced Placement students also showed their dedication as Puckett spoke.

"When we started together, there were no AP classes at South Putnam," Puckett noted. "We've seen the slow growth and it's the teachers. When we started, we had bad scores and the teachers said the kids just don't care. Well, the teachers started making the kids care and encouraging them."

Since, 2010 South Putnam has improved its scores steadily with last year being its best year yet with 64 percent of students receiving credit on their AP tests, a score which exceeded both the state and global average.

"There's real serious academics going on here," Puckett added. "We had a great year last year and we're back at it again this year."

In other business:

* Superintendent Bruce Bernhardt noted that although the corporation switched from the Honeywell system to the School Messenger system, it will work just the same. Bernhardt added that he will still contact the radio stations for school closings and delays as well as send out texts, emails or phone calls. Parents are asked to make sure all information on file has been updated.

* The board approved the resignations of high school custodian Tim Stanifer as well as Dana Collins as the girls' elementary basketball coordinator.

* The board approved the hiring of part-time food service worker Mary Bills, Krista Powell as the girls' elementary basketball coordinator, Brian Gardner as the head boys' track coach and Aaron Brock as the boys' freshman basketball coach.

* The board also honored Central Elementary second-grader Chlara Pistelli, Fillmore Elementary fourth-grader Megan Arnold, sixth-grader Dawson Cash and senior Ariel Higgins as its November Students of the Month.

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