Agenda Item
c. Approval of Annual Subscription for Microsoft A5 and Copilot Licenses with Dell (Not to exceed $1,464,502.76)
Summary: Presented by: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information & Instructional Technology
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the annual subscription for Microsoft A5 Licenses and Copilot Licenses from Dell for a total cost not to exceed $1,464,502.76.
Why: The purpose of this agenda item is to support the Division of Information and Instructional Technology (DIIT) and district leadership in ongoing efforts to provide secure, modern, and efficient digital tools that enhance teaching, learning, and administrative operations. The Microsoft A5 License ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of district technology resources while delivering up-to-date productivity applications, collaboration platforms, and advanced security protections for students and staff. The Microsoft Copilot License extends these capabilities by integrating advanced AI features into Microsoft 365 applications, enabling administrative staff to work more efficiently through automated content creation, data analysis, and task management.
Details: The Microsoft A5 License provides the DeKalb County School District with comprehensive productivity tools, collaboration platforms, cloud storage, advanced security, and licensing benefits to all students and staff. This annual subscription is essential for sustaining district operations, enhancing instructional capabilities, and securing digital resources.
Purchasing Microsoft A5 and Copilot provides DCSD with advanced security, productivity, and AI-powered tools that keep our environment agile, secure, and equipped to support both instructional and administrative needs. This investment reinforces the district’s commitment to leveraging technology for student success, staff efficiency, and organizational excellence.
Key Services (A5 Licenses):
● Enables the district to upgrade to the latest versions of Microsoft Office 365 for Education.
● Includes Office 365 applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, Publisher, and Visio.
● Provides additional tools and services such as Unlimited OneDrive Storage, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Forms, Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint, Microsoft Defender, and Active Directory for Single Sign-On (SSO).
● Allows all DeKalb County School District students and staff to install Microsoft Office on multiple personal devices at no additional cost.
● Supports hybrid learning (face-to-face and remote) with endpoint/email protection and audio/video capabilities.
● Currently supports over 100,000 district devices running Office 365
Key Services (Copilot Licenses):
● Document Drafting & Editing Assistance
● Meeting Summaries & Action Items
● Email Summarization & Drafting
● Data Analysis & Visualization
● Presentation Creation
● Task Automation
● Research Assistance
● Content Personalization
●Template Creation
Financial impact: $1,464,502.76, General Funds, 100.1000.553200.00011.7600.9990.0308.070.0000
Contact: Dr. Kermit Belcher, Chief Information Officer, Division of Information & Instructional Technology, 678-676-1274.
Effective: December 2026
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
2025 Chronology – Microsoft A5 and Copilot Licenses
The Department of Information and Instructional Technology (DIIT) seeks
approval to renew and expand the district’s enterprise licensing to include
both Microsoft A5 and Microsoft Copilot licenses. These licensing solutions
provide the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) with secure, modern, and
efficient digital tools that enhance teaching, learning, and administrative
operations.
The Microsoft A5 license ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability
of district technology resources while delivering up-to-date productivity
applications, collaboration platforms, and advanced security protections.
The Microsoft Copilot license extends these capabilities by integrating
advanced AI tools directly into Microsoft 365 applications, enabling greater
efficiency, automation, and data-driven decision-making for district staff.
As DCSD relies on digital resources to support instruction and daily
operations, it is essential to maintain current licensing for both productivity
and security. The A5 License supports over 100,000 devices, ensuring staff
and students have uninterrupted access to Microsoft Office 365 applications,
collaboration tools, cloud storage, and endpoint protections. The Copilot
License empowers administrative and instructional staff to leverage
AI-assisted capabilities such as drafting documents, summarizing
communications, generating presentations, analyzing data, and automating
repetitive tasks.
These licensing investments are critical, ongoing components of the district’s
technology strategy. They ensure that DCSD remains agile, secure, and
equipped with state-of-the-art tools to support academic success,
operational efficiency, and organizational excellence.
Key Services-Microsoft A5 Licenses:
● Enables the district to upgrade to the latest versions of Microsoft Office
365 for Education.
● Includes Office 365 applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote,
Outlook, Access, Publisher, and Visio.
● Provides additional tools such as Unlimited OneDrive Storage,
Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Forms, Power Apps, Power Automate,
SharePoint, Microsoft Defender, and Active Directory for Single
Sign-On (SSO).
● Allows students and staff to install Microsoft Office on multiple
personal devices at no additional cost.
● Provides endpoint/email protection and audio/video capabilities.
● Currently supports over 100,000 devices running Office 365.
Key Services-Microsoft Copilot Licenses:
● Document drafting and editing assistance.
● Automated meeting summaries and action item generation.
● Email summarization and professional response drafting.
● Data analysis and visualization in Excel.
● Presentation creation in PowerPoint from outlines or datasets.
● Task automation using natural language commands.
● Research assistance from internal and shared files.
● Content personalization for different audiences.
● Time-saving templates for recurring administrative documents.
Financial Impact:
Year Cost
2022-23 $1,425,446.64
2023-24 $1,547,903.72
2024-25 $1,499,360.44
2025-26 $ 1,464,502.76 requesting