Security demands, budget constraints clash in American schools

Nov 18, 2003 12:00 PM

The sputtering economy has choked off the flow of money from state coffers to thousands of school districts and higher-education institutions throughout the nation, and education administrators face difficult choices as they try to preserve educational quality with less-than-adequate finances.

The collision course between security demands and budget constraints is one that all schools and universities must address. Administrators must balance the priorities of providing security with the reality of shrinking budgets. For some schools, that means forgoing equipment upgrades and staffing increases. For others it means seeking grants to bolster security resources, or including equipment and infrastructure upgrades in bond issue proposals. Many institutions that have been spared cutbacks so far are concentrating on maintaining security programs rather than looking at enhancements.

"We've been circling the wagons to protect what we have," says Thomas Nichols, police chief in the Lubbock, Texas, school district.

For the complete story, see American School & University, a sister magazine of Access Control & Security Systems. To read the entire article, follow this link: http://asumag.com/ar/university_paying_protection/index.htm

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