The Hidden Cost of School Security

Abstract

A spate of school shootings in the U.S. has prompted policymakers to address the public's growing perception that our schools are unsafe. As education policymakers continue to press for additional security initiatives, it is important to understand the costs borne by school systems for these programs. Thus far, the scholarly literature is silent on this issue and the professional literature and mass media offer only anecdotal accounts. Using financial data from Texas and the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) School Survey on Crime and Safety, this study reveals how much districts spend on security, how they use those resources, and the extent to which spending differs across districts, thereby providing a comprehensive and more refined account of school security costs than is presently available.