Chelsea Schools are looking into a New Radio System

It’s not simply a radio it would be a strategic investment in district safety and communication infrastructure. The Chelsea School District is now looking into purchasing and implementing a district radio system.

At the June 23 CSD Board of Education meeting, the topic of a district radio system was introduced with some details given as to why this is needed, what it would cost and how it will help. The board did not make decision on this, but is expected to consider it in an upcoming meeting.

CSD Superintendent Michael Kapolka said the district has been lacking a consistent network. Noting things like dead areas for cell phones, he said they have had issues in the past where this would have helped. He said having a district radio system would be a huge step forward.

The idea for this comes from the report to Kapolka from Ryan Spencer, CSD’s Director of Technology and Doug Whitsel, CSD’s Director of Safety & Security. Spencer and Whitsel put forth a proposal that could see the district putting forth $164,878 to make it happen.

In their memorandum to Kapolka, Spencer and Whitsel said, “As part of our continued commitment to health and safety, a key priority in our district’s strategic plan, we are proposing a full upgrade and expansion of our radio communication system. During our recent security review, we identified several limitations with our current radios, many of which are consumer-grade devices acquired over time. These shortcomings, coupled with communication dead zones reported by our transportation department, highlight the need for a more reliable and scalable system to support day-to-day operations. The new radios will be used not only for routine communication across buildings and departments but also as a critical tool during emergency situations.”

After seeking bids, Spencer and Whitsel said the solution they believe to be best includes 185 portable (handheld) radios and 45 mobile (vehicle-installed) radios. They said portable radios would be distributed to staff in all school buildings, including the Washington Street Education Center, as well as to Transportation, Operations, and Food Service personnel and mobile radios will be installed in all buses, trucks, and vans. They said the repeater located at the Jiffy tower will be replaced, and new repeaters will be added at Beach Middle School and Chelsea High School to improve in-building signal strength.

“Each building and department will have its own dedicated communication channel,” Spencer and Whitsel said.

Kapolka said the proposal could be funded through district bond dollars. He said they have applied for a grant, but have not heard back about that yet.