More Security Cameras, ID Access Coming to Schools

The agreed to transfer $200,000 out of capital reserves to help pay for improved security at district schools.

The project, which was approved by the public as part of the , was estimated in the budget to cost about $370,000: $270,000 for additional security cameras at the district schools and $100,000 for magnetic identification card access at all schools.

"That was the big capital expense in this year's budget," Dr. Michael LaSusa, the soon-to-be superintendent said.

Peter Daquila, the district's business administrator, said, "The actual estimate is coming [in] higher than the ballpark estimate," by about $200,000.

LaSusa said the reason estimates have risen by so much is because 16 security cameras currently in use at are too old to be repurposed in the new project. Instead, they will have to be replaced. "They're so old they're not going to be able to connect to the new system," LaSusa said.

Also two of the schools, and , are so old that "the wiring in [some of the entrances] is going to cost more to replace," LaSusa said.

The board, Daquila said, could opt to "do the project piecemeal rather than as a whole," and upgrade only some of the schools this year with the other schools to come in a different year.

Board of Education Member asked the board to consider upgrading one school at a time to try to keep expenses down. "That's a lot of money," he said. "Do we have to spend it all this year?"

Chatham High School, for example, has more guests, students and teachers coming and going, and could benefit most from having web cameras and ID card access to the building. Elementary schools, on the other hand, have a more vulnerable population of students.

"We feel that security is lacking overall in the district," LaSusa said. President Tom Belding added the improvements would "bring us up to best practices" for school security.

The board voted unanimously to move the funds and complete the entire project in one year.