School leaders nationwide are realizing the universal obstacle posing the greatest threat to their school’s safety: a limited school safety technology budget.
Keeping your school safe under a tight budget, coupled with the lack of knowledge in federal and local mandates, will collectively present its own challenges. As a result, schools spend millions on the least effective technology to help boost their school security plans. However, they remain unaware of the all-in-one solutions that can best protect their students, optimize staff work productivity, and help allocate funds to equally important goals: educating students and providing a consistent positive climate.
It is a complex issue that, thankfully, has a streamlined solution.
Still, school leaders are left to wonder: are these school safety technology budget plans fully measurable or setting a positive school climate to prevent school violence and social-emotional learning issues? There remains more to be anxious about as trends in school technology evolve.
School administrators and their technology chiefs are also highly concerned about:
- Campus safety and cybersecurity
- Limited budget
- New technology and data to support their schools’ bottom line
There’s good news in conquering the infamous war on school safety technology budget woes. ScholarChip’s all-in-one scalable solution exists for school leaders seeking to target both school safety and school climate needs while expanding its benefits into the classroom and beyond—without breaking the bank.
Let’s delve into the most important aspects of understanding your budget and how your knowledge of school safety technology can empower your plan’s sustainability for years to come.
Is Your School Safety Budget Large Enough?
First, we must ask, “Is school safety a real priority for your campus?” Your school can’t afford to negate the benefits of critical staff members and intervention programs that make a measurable difference. “The progress made on school drug and violence prevention, security and emergency preparedness efforts post-Columbine is at risk when school safety programs are not sustained—or prioritized,” reports school safety expert Kenneth Trump. As such, school leaders should “[r]emain proactive and avoid doing school safety ‘on the cheap.’”
What is the precise formula for measuring whether your budget is large enough?
As a school leader who is consistently trying to measure the value—and effectiveness—of your school security plans, you should remember these two keys to budgetary success:
- School safety is an investment that brings long-term benefits, even when funds begin to change in the future.
- Knowledge is power. Your education on school safety technology, understanding your school population, and further engaging your students is vital to a positive school climate.
Fortunately, these goals can be easily met without stressing your school’s budget. Let’s highlight the most impactful methods to improve your budget uses and overall school climate.
Improve Your School Security—and Budget—through Your School Culture
School climate and its strong connection to SEL (social and emotional learning) are your first tools in preventing and intervening in school safety challenges.
Since the late nineties, there have been nearly 300 school shootings, with over 25% of schools lacking a written safety plan, 15% of students revealing a digital bullying experience, and 6% of students reported missing from school at least once a month because they felt unsafe.
Your staff and students need to feel safe before we can expect them to give their all to teaching and learning.
How can administrators foster that environment?
Each school board across the nation must re-prioritize and invest in the goal of measuring student behavior, outcomes, and enlist the involvement of parents and the community to successfully meet safety needs and budgets.
How can school leaders re-prioritize such goals to fit their budget, boost opportunities for grants, and begin to maximize these inclusive SEL benefits that involve everyone?
The Power of ABE (Alternative Behavior Educator)
ABE (Alternative Behavior Educator) is the most reliable and accurate platform that collects district-wide, real-time data necessary for vertical reporting and grant applications. Automated graphs provide detailed data that reveal problematic areas, as well as areas of improvement for each student. With ABE, you can demonstrate the high priority that you place on behavior and social education to teachers, parents, administrators, school board members, and the community.
Compelling research by Corey DeAngelis and Angela Dills shows a striking correlation between school options and better mental health for students. Further research has unveiled that states with generous school choices that offer positive SEL and school safety technology plans reflect lowered teen suicide and bully rates—compared to states with schools that lack positive safety technology options.
The difference is that positive school safety technology plans are not only seen but also felt. When the whole community remains involved, student accountability increases, budgetary requirements are sustained or decreased year by year, and your school culture flourishes with a recognized positive SEL environment.
There is much offered to school leaders through school safety technology platforms to help you get the most from your budget.
How to Maximize Your School Safety Technology Budget through an All-in-One Solution
ScholarChip offers smart school leaders an all-in-one automated platform that is scalable to your individual school safety technology budget, meets federal and local mandates, positions you for grant funding and reimbursements, and remains the most accurate solution to real-time data and integrated decision-making for your entire team.
As you focus on the safety of your assets (students and staff), this platform supports your goal in learning and managing behavior, population, and data for each student, staff member, and visitor.
Behavior Management (ABE)
As mentioned, ABE helps the staff in your community work together in real time to:
- Identify and define each student’s social and emotional behavior patterns.
- Create goals and rewards.
- Provide staff with strategies and better decision-making.
- Easily consult with parents and guardians.
Building Access Rights, Population Control, and Attendance
Through IoT devices and built-in intelligence, you and your staff have real-time data on school population and access control. With automated secure door access offered in the all-in-one integrated platform, your staff’s work productivity increases due to automated attendance through the smart card readers and ID system, restricted door access solution, and lockdown control—all with one tap or swipe. You are also improving the school climate with positive security reinforcements that make everyone feel safe and engaged.
Visitor Management
A powerful, web-based visitor management system automates visitor data collection, secures entries, and maintains historical data on all incoming campus visitors across your school building or district. Your school safety technology budget must include the feature of vetting visitors and volunteers for issues that might put your community at risk.
Technology Advancements and SaaS
ScholarChip hosts school safety and operations services from the cloud. Unlike traditional software sold as a perpetual license with an upfront cost, ScholarChip:
- Spreads out software expenses as an annual subscription fee
- Reduces IT support costs and maintenance associated with in-school server-based software
Costs for in-school servers and their maintenance are eliminated, and most importantly, student data is continually protected as school safety technology evolves year by year.
Boost Your Opportunities for the School Climate Transformation Grant
The experts in school safety technology solutions can truly empathize with school administrators. School safety funding is often a confusing and challenging goal. Not only do you have to allocate for materials and upkeep costs, but you must also adhere to strict budget and government laws.
New safety measures are being implemented all over the country, but not every school has the immediate budget for school safety technology. School leaders should be devoted to educating its students and building a positive school climate in which they can learn.
Fortunately, your school safety technology budget can benefit from the SCTG (School Climate Transformation Grant) when you leverage all-in-one automated platforms and display a clear target of incorporating SEL in your safety plan.
Is School Safety Your Priority? Smart Decisions and Investments Are Key
Re-prioritizing and investing in the goal of measuring student outcomes based on new technology initiatives starts with your decision to procure a centrally-managed all-in-one solution. Partnering with the experts in school safety technology will maximize your budget by empowering you to think about the value of your school’s investment in the right school safety technology—to prevent school violence and increase a positive school climate.
To learn how ScholarChip can help your schools meet your school safety technology budget needs and sustain school safety as your top priority, or to get free recommendations, feel free to schedule a call with one of our specialists!
