by Andrew Alonzo | calendar@claremont-courier.com

In the November 28 story “CUSD Board: Unanimous approval for $6.9 million in safety, security upgrades” we reported Claremont Unified School District was to spend $6,889,115 to fund safety, security and student-staff technology upgrades, also known as resolution 06-2026, and would pay back that money in five yearly installments of $1,377,823.

“The funding source for this work is the unrestricted General Fund,” CUSD spokesperson Elaine Kong wrote in an email. “The vendor agreement with NWN Corporation, financed through Asset Finance Group, was listed on the November 20 Board agenda, including total project cost, the five annual installments, and the fact that the expenditure is budgeted in the General Fund. Asset Finance Group is the financing company used by NWN for these agreements.

The work’s funding source was outlined on consent calendar item 18.09, “vendor agreements,” on the November 20 agenda at cusd-claremont.community.highbond.com.

“This work is deferred maintenance that cannot wait any longer,” Kong wrote. “Much of our network is at the end of its life cycle and no longer supports the current demands of classroom technology. The limitations became especially clear last school year when [Advanced Placement] testing moved fully online. Cisco had to install temporary access points at no cost to help us get through the testing window. Even with that support, we saw firsthand that our existing network could not meet the needs of students and staff.

“We are now seeing service inconsistencies that affect classrooms. Reliable connectivity is a basic requirement for teaching, learning, communication, and safety. These upgrades ensure that our students and teachers have the stable infrastructure they need.”

A list of items to be purchased, upgraded and/or improved, including 100 outdoor cameras, data networking switches, firewall defense, and architectural design is at cusd-claremont.community.highbond.com.

CUSD’s 2025-26 budget, adopted in June, projects it will end the fiscal year with a deficit of $5,991,246. Projections for coming years include deficits of $3.3 million in 2026-27 and $3 million for 2027-28.

Kong explained further how the district will fund the yearly $1.37 million payments for safety, security, and tech upgrades.

“The annual payment for the networking and communication infrastructure upgrade is $1,377,823 every year for five years,” Kong wrote. “The district already budgets for technology needs, ongoing repairs, and equipment replacements each year, and those existing expenditures will now be captured within this annual payment. Because of this, the $1.3 million is not a full new cost on top of the current budget. The exact net increase will be reflected in the 1st Interim budget that goes to the Board on December 11, since that document incorporates all current year adjustments, including this agreement.”

Kong wrote that Thursday’s presentation of the district’s most up to date financial picture “will include salary increases for all employees, the actual ending fund balance from the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, and all changes that have occurred since the June budget adoption,” Kong wrote. “The revenue from the La Puerta property sale was already received and budgeted last year, so it is already incorporated into the district’s financials.”