School Security Budgets

The preparation of school budgets is a time consuming and delicate balance of expenditures and revenues. All of which are guided by state mandates on both sides of the ledger while always keeping the best educational programs for our students in view. Far too often, the funds allocated for security are less than those for other areas in the budget. As a school security expert, I believe the priortization process is flawed. School security must be at the forefront of every budget conversation. Additionally, the funds that are allocated for security are often expended for hardware, like cameras, and very little spent on training or pro-active programs.

Of course, alarms, cameras, metal detectors and central stations have a role in school safety, but they are mainly reactive tools that capture the events as they unfold. They do little to prevent a Columbine or Sandy Hook type of attack. School security must be based on three principles: First, there must be a philosophy of “virtual security” which simply means that security is everyone’s responsibility. That includes administrators, teachers, custodians etc.; Second, securing the outside perimeter is essential. This can be accomplished by installing guard booths, fencing and gates. And these booths and gates can be made to look environmentally friendly and not prison-like as is the concern of some folks. If a person wishing to do harm gets to the front door unchecked, preventing entry becomes very difficult and reaction time is severely limited. Finally, the training for school security guards is almost non-existent. Training must consist of more than the NYS security guard requirement of 8 hours annually. Additionally, security training should be required for all school personnel not just security guards. Working with a virtual security environment that has strong perimeter controls and a comprehensive training program for everyone, would make our schools safer.

Sufficient funding for school security should be a top priority in any school budget. A possible solution could come from how state aid is distributed. Perhaps the state could mandate that a percentage of state aid for education be earmarked specifically for school security.