BOE Approves Land Purchase from County and Technology Purchases to Enhance Data Security
The BOE has approved the purchase of a three-acre tract on Eastanollee School Road near the School System’s Eastanollee Cannery, Stephens County FFA livestock barn, and the under-construction Ferman Gregory Agriculture Center from the County.
At the April 16 Stephens County Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the purchase of 3.71+/- acres from the Stephens County Board of Commissioners. Located at 582 Eastanollee School Road near the School System’s Eastanollee Cannery and Stephens County FFA livestock barn, the property was once the former site of Stephens County High School.
According to Assistant Superintendent John Stith, the purchase of the property will allow access to the new Ferman Gregory Agriculture Center without requiring an easement from the county. The Ag. Center is currently under construction with an anticipated Fall 2024 completion. The purchase will also allow for future growth of the school system’s agriculture education program, Stith added.
A historic marker signifying the site of the former Eastanollee High School organized in 1917, becoming the county high school and renamed Stephens County High School in 1929, is located on the land being purchased from Stephens County by the BOE.
Funded through the FY24 general operating budget, the land purchase price includes $28,000 for the land and approximately $1,500 in closing costs.
At last week’s Stephens County Board of Commissioners meeting, county commissioners approved the sale of the property to the Stephens County Board of Education.
Also, during the April 16 meeting, the Board of Education approved two technology purchases to support the safety and security of the School Systems network data. The first purchase was Duo 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) Licensing from PCS for $10,256.60, paid from the technology department budget. Duo 2FA provides additional security for the School System’s email and other systems to protect access to sensitive information.
The second technology purchase from a company called Bytespeed for a total of $84,886, funded from the technology budget and ESPLOST.
According to Jack Higgins, Director of Technology, the purchase includes new server hardware for running servers required to maintain the School System’s network, a new data storage server, and Veeam backup software for securing data.