What tonight's Aledo ISD purchases cost: $197,333.39 for cell-signal systems at two campuses, and $55,155 to renew GoGuardian, the software that filters and watches district student devices

The antenna memo from Police Chief David Stevens says the district "has multiple campuses with underdeveloped nearby infrastructure for cellular coverage" and that two have been picked as priority locations; trustees first discussed it Sept. 22. It gives the costs as "$83,599.71 and $113,733.68, respectively, for a total of $197,333.39." The attached BearCom quotes are for Annetta Elementary ($81,164.77, or $83,599.71 if paid by credit card) and McAnally Middle School ($113,396.50, a quote marked valid until Aug. 31). If the federal grant doesn't come through, the memo says, "we are prepared to find an alternative funding source." The district is also assessing coverage at its other campuses.

The GoGuardian renewal, presented by Chief Technology Officer Brooks Moore, comes to the board because board policy requires a vote on purchases of $50,000 or more and the "final renewal cost exceeds that threshold"; it was left out of the August software renewals because it wasn't expected to. The $55,155 from the 2026-27 general fund covers internet filtering on district devices, teachers' classroom controls, and GoGuardian Beacon, which the memo says is "designed to identify online activity that may indicate a student is at risk of self-harm or other safety concerns" and alerts district staff.

Source: Aledo ISD board meeting templates for the cellular antenna purchase and the GoGuardian renewal, BearCom quotes and GoGuardian quote, BoardBook, posted Oct. 19, read Oct. 20