Silver Lake server costs quadruple, no funding found

School Committee · Meeting of October 22, 2026

HALIFAX — Silver Lake Regional School Committee heard that server replacement costs more than tripled in under a year, with no funding identified. Technology staffer Steve Pello said a vendor quote to replace the district's Nutanix server cluster rose from $57,000 in December 2025 to $212,000 this month, with support ending in March 2027; the district's only funded capital item, a roughly $700,000 HVAC unit, would consume nearly all available capital money. The committee also reviewed MCAS data showing continued high school declines in English, math and science, with a staffer warning low participation could cost the district "$15,000 to $20,000" of IDEA grant funding.

Committee member Jason said he was most worried about "the number of students not meeting expectations." Principal Gill said she wants "all of my children ... to graduate with a diploma that means something." The committee unanimously approved four new AP courses, a 2026-2028 high school improvement plan, a booster club handbook, and declared 35 cafeteria tables surplus.

In the full story:

• National Honor Society and Academic Awards
• District Server Infrastructure: A Funding Gap With No Clear Source
• Consent Agenda and Routine Personnel and Policy Items
• Middle and High School MCAS Results and Accountability
• New Advanced Placement Courses
• High School Improvement Plan and Booster Club Handbook
• Preschool, Elementary and District Budget Updates
• Subcommittee and Liaison Reports
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,118 words

Source: the School Committee meeting of October 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.