Idaho School District May Use School Supply Budget to Pay for Security

Idaho School District May Use School Supply Budget to Pay for Security

Twin Falls School District had to use about 5 percent of their school supply budget in order to cover the cost of full-time security aides. This year, they may have to do the same again.

  • By Kaitlyn DeHaven
  • July 23, 2019

Twin Falls School District has and will continue to have an unarmed security aide in most of its school buildings, but it’s unsure where the funding will come from.

Eva Craner, the district spokeswoman, said it’s undetermined whether the district will need to draw from the supply budget to pay for the aides, as they did last year.

“We put in a lot of money for school security because it’s important,” Craner said. “The pie is only so big, it just depends on where it gets cut.”

Last year, the school supply budget was cut approximately 5 percent, which is about $232,000, to help cover the cost of 15 full-time security aides. According to Magicvalley.com, the positions are budgeted for the upcoming school year, but how the district pays for them is largely dependent on whether the district qualifies for an emergency levy.

Operations Director Ryan Bowman said that while the school supply budget is obviously important, school security is vital for student performance.

“We are trying to make every building in our district as secure as possible,” Bowman said. “When people feel at ease in their surroundings, they do tend to do better and perform better.”

School leaders are working to make safety and security a priority in Idaho. A $21 million proposal called Keep Idaho Students Safe, which was backed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra, recently failed, but some of the initiatives are still being pursued.

“School safety and student wellbeing will remain a key priority in the coming year and beyond,” Ybarra said in a statement. “This past legislative session laid the groundwork and jump-started a discussion that is still going strong and will help determine our next moves.”

In addition, some of the schools that were built before safety was a priority, have been renovated mitigate risk through access control and automated identification systems.

About the Author

Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

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