Anchorage Daily News

PALMER - Matanuska-Susitna Borough school officials are pushing a $19.1 million bond on the Oct. 7 ballot that focuses on safety and security. The bond includes nearly $5 million in capital improvement projects for a new roof for Palmer High School, needed upgrades to fire hydrants and the parking lot at Wasilla High School and better road access to Cottonwood Creek Elementary.

The remaining $14 million is tagged for safety and security measures. That includes funding for 42 surveillance cameras as well as new fencing, added telephones and so-called "panic buttons" that would trigger a building-wide lockdown and notify 911 with the push of a button. It also includes money for improved security systems - intruder alarms. Only half of schools have such alarm systems now, according to Catherine Esary, the district's public information officer.

A discussion about cameras, panic buttons, fencing and alarms seems more suitable for a prison than a school, but since the Columbine tragedy rocked the nation in 1999, there's been a corresponding rise in spending on security technology.

A 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Education found that, in the years since 1999, the number of schools using one or more security cameras increased from 19 percent to 43 percent. Today, 63 percent of classrooms have telephones compared to 45 percent in 1999.

A Google search on the words 'school safety and security bond' generates millions of hits including dozens of school districts in the Lower 48 that recently passed or hope to levy funds for added security measures.

A district in Gladstone, Ore., a suburb of Portland, set a $39 million bond this year to install electronic door locks and security cameras. In Houston, Texas, $90 million, or more than 10 percent of a 2007 $805 million school bond was for security upgrades.

The movement toward security technology may be a trend, but even people who make their living in the business say it's only part of a successful safety program.

Security technology is "not a panacea," said Ken Trump, a 25-year veteran of the school safety field and head of the Ohio-based consulting firm National School Safety and Security Services.

"Schools need to focus on what problem or potential problem are you trying to address. And number two, how are you going to use that technology on a day-to-day basis? And what's your plan for maintenance, repair, upkeep and placement?" Trump said.

SECURITY COSTS

Numbers provided by the Mat-Su school district put the cost for security incidents last year at slightly above $20,000. In 2006, it was $26,000. This year, it's $46,000, most due to one vandalism episode at Willow elementary school in April. Not all the bills are tallied yet for that incident. In an average year, that money is mainly spent on broken windows and removing graffiti, Esary said.

Since 2005, the district has reported 50 security incidents on average to the state each year.

Those incidents include situations that result in suspension or expulsion for harassment, intimidation or bullying on school property or on school buses. That number reflects less than 1 percent of the district's 16,000 plus student population.

The state Department of Education and Early Development has no regulations governing individual districts' safety and security measures.

Sam Kito, a facilities engineer with the department signed off on the 70 percent state reimbursement rate for this bond.

He said other than ensuring districts protect their facility investments and have a responsible maintenance plan, the rest is "up to the district."

Nor does the state bar districts from bonding for items such as surveillance cameras and intercom systems, whose value diminishes faster than the time required to pay it off. The bond proposed by Mat-Su, for example, would be paid back over a 20-year period, far longer than some of the purchased equipment is likely to last.

ELEMENTS OF SAFETY SUCCESS

School districts contacted by the Daily News for this article all agreed safety technology is one of several strategies in a successful model. But they said the effectiveness of specific measures like added fencing and security cameras varied from school to school.

Pat Fuller, who heads up the 100-member Austin, Texas, School District police force, reported 18 crimes last year out of a population of 83,000 students. In 2004, Fuller's district passed a $420 million bond for new schools and security measures.

"We have to balance (technology) with the fact that we have a very strong counseling service in this district," Fuller said.

"We have programs such as behavioral programs that we use in K-12. All of it together is what works, not just one thing."

Mark Mew, head of security for the Anchorage School District, said his district is constantly rolling in technology, including upgrading building alarms, radio communication and keyless entries. But he said there's "no silver bullet" in determining the perfect deterrent.

"There's no one thing you can do and you'll be safe," Mew said. "It's a combination of technology, training and policy."

IMPACT IN MAT-SU

Esary said the district's strategic plan incorporates numerous goals with an eye for safety, including plans for emergency response, a policy on bullying and harassment and health curriculum that includes the impact of drugs and alcohol.

While many elements in the bond are an aid to protect students from outside, the technology is not intended to make schools off limits to those who are around for good purposes, she said.

But how does the bond protect students from what some say is their greatest threat - each other?

Mike Vrvilo, principal at Houston High School, believes surveillance cameras are the most effective tool.

Houston has had security cameras since it was built five years ago. Vrvilo said the cameras decrease aberrant behavior and help teachers solve disputes when it is one student's word against another.

Teens who know someone is watching are far less likely to misbehave.

"We've had almost close to zero vandalism, and we rarely have any physical confrontation," Vrvilo said. "This is just one part of a successful climate but (a camera) does work as a huge deterrent."

Find Melodie Wright online at adn.com/contact/mwright or call 352-6721.

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