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"These are the things that we can reasonably manage to do now," said Craig Tunks, director of information and operations development for the Ridgefield Public School District.
"As we did the security evaluation, these are the items we were most prepared to do," Tunks said. It was a matter of "what we could afford, and what return we could get off that investment."
Most of the requested money -- $374,207 -- is for access control. That covers better control over who enters and exits each school by creating two barriers for access, better access for law enforcement and emergency medical services while also slowing a potential intruder. The monies also include the addition of interior door locks.
The district has begun meeting with vendors to look at different systems that the schools could implement, including a bio-metric lock and a key fob or card. One of the ways to make schools more secure is by ensuring that if one key is lost then the entire school isn't venerable, Tunks said.
Cameras could cost the town a total of $325,906 and would be monitored by security. The upgrades would allow for police access in an emergency.
"Cameras will allow us to see the exterior of the buildings, and what is proposed is just cameras on the outside," Tunks said.
The improvements in the mass notification system would include an upgrade to the public announcement system and is estimated to cost $151,000.
"With the push of a single button you would have an overhead announcement playing, you would have a notification on computer screens," Tunks said, as well as immediately informing law enforcement to decrease response time. "Reducing the response time, increases security."
Not included in the capital request presented were interior security gates, window film, a dual entrance system, and cellular service. The task force is looking at those issues but doesn't see the immediate need or availability. For instance, the cell service is contingent on the town's negotiations, Tunks said.
The vote on more than $851,000 in capital spending will take place at the next Board of Education meeting. The Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance have been invited to the next meeting to be able to ask questions.
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