Regional School Unit 9 has adopted a 10-year technology plan that will guide district decisions on cybersecurity, digital access, classroom technology, artificial intelligence and future budget planning. The board of directors voted 15-0 on June 23 to approve the plan.

Covering July 2026 through June 2036, the plan says RSU 9 should focus on security, access, integration and communication as technology becomes central to student learning, staff effectiveness and district operations.

Director of Technology Kevin Bremner said it is largely a planning document for the first year.

“There are no funds in the FY ’27 budget (2026-27 school year) that are earmarked for new initiatives that are specified in the Tech Plan,” Bremner said. “Much of the work outlined for the upcoming year is work already started, no cost implementations or planning for future years.”

The plan is intended to give employees and district stakeholders direction when planning technology initiatives and making budget decisions. It says technology should enhance student learning, support staff effectiveness, foster community engagement and protect digital security.

Four major objectives are identified: cybersecurity, reliable technology access for students and staff, technology integration for teaching and operations, and a districtwide communication strategy.

RSU 9’s existing technology footprint is substantial. The district manages about 2,000 student-issued iPads, 50 MacBook Air cart laptops and 75 classroom desktop computers, according to the plan. Students in grades 6-12 were issued one-to-one 10th generation iPads beginning in the 2025-26 school year, with keyboard cases and access to Logitech Crayon styluses.

The plan also says the district has been replacing classroom projectors with 4K wall-mounted televisions since 2019. All elementary schools have moved to TV installations, while some middle school and high school classrooms still use older projectors.

Bremner said no major purchases or upgrades are expected in the first year. He said the district will look at the possibility of partnering with a cybersecurity firm in fiscal year 2028 to enhance its cyber defense posture.

CYBERSECURITY

Cybersecurity is also listed separately in the superintendent’s report. Superintendent Christian Elkington said RSU 9 needs to develop a cost-effective plan to make cybersecurity resources available to staff and students.

“We can’t ignore what we are seeing more and more of, with our use of technology,” Elkington said.

Bremner said the district’s incident response planning and the cybersecurity work in the 10-year plan are preventive. Cybersecurity incidents handled over the past year were phishing emails reported by staff or compromised email accounts used to send phishing emails to other staff members, he said.

A June 2 memo included in the agenda says RSU 9 was chosen to implement KnowBe4, a security awareness training program, through a grant with the Maine Office of Information Technology as part of the Maine State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.

Bremner said staff will be asked to participate in one training exercise each quarter, consisting of a lesson and a quick assessment. The district will be able to identify staff who may be struggling and work with them in an educational setting to help them better spot malicious cyber activity.

The technology plan also calls for continued work on cybersecurity training, security monitoring, managed detection and response, disaster recovery planning, a technology policy manual and eventual research into a zero trust architecture model.

The agenda also lists “AI Next Steps.” Bremner said the district plans to implement AI teacher guides next year at each school.

“This person will get extra training on Generative AI tools and strategies and be available to help staff in their building use these tools in their professional work,” Bremner said.

The AI teacher guides will also meet monthly to collaborate and improve AI usage and understanding throughout the district, he said.