MSCS asks for $37 million in security upgrades
By
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Keeping weapons out of school buildings is a high priority within Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS).
Over $17 million was dedicated to school safety and security for the 2022-2023 school year.
For the upcoming school year, MSCS is asking for more than double that number to keep a high focus on safety within schools.
Wednesday, MSCS Interim Superintendent Toni Williams asked county commissioners for just over $37 million for safety upgrades next school year.
The focus is on technology such as weapon detection systems on cameras, but also personnel like campus monitors.
“What they will do is provide support to have boots on the ground to provide any incidents to track it to our real-time safety center, so we can have a quick emergency response for any incident that may happen,” said MSCS Interim Chief Financial Officer Tito Langston.
Wednesday morning, Governor Bill Lee signed into law a bill that would invest over $200 million into security for schools across the state.
MSCS told Action News 5, “We are thankful that the governor has made increasing safety in schools statewide a top priority. We are still researching how the recent legislation will directly impact MSCS.”
In the meantime, the district is moving forward with its own plan.
“Our district has to invest in safety and security for our 100,000 students and 14,000 employees,” said Williams.
MSCS has some basic safety concerns after having fallen victim to the district’s hundreds of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance.
For instance, some schools don’t have a working intercom system in the event of an emergency.
Some schools also need upgrades to the fire alarm systems.
MSCS is asking for $20 million in emergency maintenance funds.
The final MSCS budget should be complete in late June.
About Post Author
