Have you ever sat around the table in a budget planning session? They are always grueling whether at the kitchen table or in a conference room. Difficult decisions are made every day around the planning table, and with the rise of school safety concerns, where does school safety fit into the budget? Should school safety be in the school budget as a separate line item?
ABSOLUTELY YES! Here’s six reasons why …
- Transparency and Accountability: Having a dedicated line item in the budget allows parents, staff, students and the community to know how much money is allocated for school safety and security. This promotes accountability.
- Allocation of resources: A separate line item allows for a more targeted approach to spending on school safety. Where are the needs? What specific equipment or staffing do we need to keep our school safe? This promotes efficiency.
- Prioritizing School Safety: Unfortunately, with the increase of school shooting on the rise, security and safety are now the MOST important issue facing schools.
- Emergency Planning: With a dedicated line item for school safety, a facilitates’ proactive investment in prevention measures and ensures that adequate resources are available.
- Grant Opportunities: There are several grant and funding opportunities specifically allotted for school safety. A separate line item makes it easier to track and allocate these funds toward safety and not get co-mingled with other budget categories.
- Community Confidence: dedicated line item for school safety promotes public confidence in the school’s ability to maintain a secure learning environment. This could improve enrollment, community support and overall perception of the school’s priorities.
Typically, school safety falls under “facilities.” However, your answers may differ depending on your role in the educational system. Teachers will tell you that curriculum, technology and supplies are most important. Administrators will tell you that staffing is most important.
There are so many areas in the school budget that are important! How do you choose where to allocate this money? What is the most important area of operating the school?
Overall, deciding where money is spent is difficult and taxing, but should the safety of your school be a questionable item on the school budget? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It should definitely hold a place in the budget.