DAVENPORT--- Davenport School Board members voted to support a plan to beef up school security Wednesday, June 27.
The Enhanced Security Plan will be reviewed by the Iowa School Budget Review Committee on Tuesday July 3rd.
The $1.1 million plan calls for 18 additional unarmed security guards, two more School Resource Officers and a district level Security and Outreach Specialist.
Superintendent Art Tate says he wants to use the district’s reserve funds to pay for the additional security, which means he will have to go to the Iowa School Budget Review Committee to ask for permission.
People sitting in Wednesday night’s board meeting say they think the money should be spent somewhere else.
“We already have people on site that can be notified that can assess and issue and take care of it...They can put that money towards other things they're shutting down schools, they are not taking care of schools that are already in disrepair,” says Davenport School alumnus, Andrew Arnold.
Dr. Tate says the district can only ask for reserve funds in an emergency, and he considers security and urgent issue.
“In school year 2017-2018 alone there have been 45 school shootings making this the deadliest school year in history,” says Tate.
The Davenport School District already has 28 security guards serving only intermediate and high schools, and six School Resource Officers.
If approved by the School Budget Review Committee, the plan will ensure at least one full-time security guard for every school in the district.
