Broward schools promise more secure campuses this fall with hundreds of new employees to protect students.
The district plans to add about 500 security personnel — including armed guardians and unarmed security specialists and monitors — to the current of staff of 745.
The plan includes beefing up unarmed security in elementary schools and armed guardians in high schools and large middle schools.
But not included are any new police officers at schools.
“There are significant vacancies in law enforcement, I think about 300 in the county, so getting additional [school resource officers] wasn’t really feasible,” Superintendent Robert Runcie said at a recent meeting.
The new positions are funded mostly through a referendum passed by taxpayers last year that raises $93 million a year for four years. Most of the money will pay for teacher raises, but $19 million will be used for security and $8 million will pay for additional guidance counselors, social workers and nurses.
