Mansfield Phones in Dire Need of Repair

The Mansfield municipal and school phone systems are out of date, according to both departments. Both school district and town officials have been saying for years now that the system was in need of replacement, but budget concerns and more necessary items in the capital budget have repeatedly pushed back the project.

Schools face the hardest of the problems, as Mansfield High School principal Michael Connolly said that the phones can go down sometimes five times a day, causing headaches for administrators and parents alike.

“It’s a daily routine,” he said. “If anyone remembers the dos type system, that’s what it looks like, it’s antiquated. We do the best we can, unfortunately sometimes you get a voicemail message late, sometimes you don’t get them at all… We just try to get by.”

For an entire replacement of the school and municipal system, the cost has been quoted at around $80,000. For a patch that the schools are trying in the next few days, a temporary measure, Hodges said, it will cost around $700 to $800.

While most of the problems can be related to the school system, it’s also impacting the municipal side as well. Recently, officials had to go on Ebay to get replacement phones because they are no longer available on retail.

“You could argue it's not a municipal problem it’s a school problem, but really it’s all one,” town manager William Ross said. “We’ve talked about a town-wide system… eventually having one unified telephone system. What we’re doing now is putting a tournequet on a bleeding wound. I know it sounds a bit over the top but it really isn’t.”

Schools also face a dilemma because the phone system is hooked into their period bell system.  The computers that dictate the phone system and the bell system are all connected, according to Ross, and uses outdated software and hardware.

Hodges said that even when new parts that should have been compatible with the current system were found, they failed to work because of the wear and tear on the old components.

“Parents are frustrated; we’re frustrated; it really is a safety issue something we truly need to address,” she said.

While the system upgrade is necessary, Ross said he has no illusions about the cost of a replacement system.

“We will never say we will cut the cost enough to cut the captital, but it will reduce long-term costs,” he said.