The ACFR Dashboard (Part 5): The True Cost of School Security

Up to this point in our series we took a hard look at using the ACFR to determine the trajectory of per pupil costs, baked in obligations and how special education lives somewhere in the middle of discrectionary and immovable.

What makes the ACFR such a beautiful accountability tool is that it does not editorialize – it just shows how much was spent and where and allows you to compare one District to another (with a little work).

When we look at our 7-District Dashboard we find that security spending is not uniform.

Some Districts are blowing up their budgets, others are flat and others are showing some modest declines. This inconsistency is occurring as Districts are facing declining enrollments which makes the inconsistency even more curious as one would expect that every District would see some level of decline given the reduction in student body.

Because unlike health and benefits or special education, security is discretionary – it is a policy choice. Yet some Districts show sharp upward spending at the same time they are demanding more dollars to increase flexibility in a tenuous state education funding context.Using 2025 security actuals divided by 2025 enrollment three tiers of security spending begin to become clear.

That is more than a 3.5× spread between the highest and lowest districts operating under the same state environment.

The Trend  

Looking back to 2021:

Berkeley Heights rose from about $25,000 in total security spending to nearly $397,000 in 2025 – a massive structural expansion – not just a one-time blip on the radar.

Millburn doubled its commitment between 2023 and 2024 and stayed up.

Westfield dipped but came back up in 2025.

 Chatham peaked in 2024 then eased up.

 Summit and New Providence stayed flat.

Madison went up and down but remains lower overall.

This break down is especially curious for Berkeley Heights a District that is currently claiming a desperate need for an additional 50 million dollars – much of it to address routine items that were planned to be accounted for in the regular budget years ago after its last referendum.

Again, unlike special education, these are NOT federally mandated costs- they are choices Districts make based on their policy perspectives.

 What counts as security in the ACFR   

Security spending can include:

Contracted security personnel
School Resource Officer or police agreements
Security services contracts
Surveillance systems
Access control systems
Monitoring services

Some security-related spending can also be buried in other areas like technology, capital or facilities lines. The numbers above reflect what is explicitly categorized as security in the ACFR and may understate the full footprint which can be concerning as it is an area that has tentacles hidden in opaques places.

 The efficacy question   

So is this investment worth it?

The weight of the research does not show consistent improvements in serious school safety outcomes from increased police presence or expanded security infrastructure.

Most studies find:
No clear reduction in serious violence
No demonstrated prevention of school shootings
Increased arrests, law enforcement referrals and exclusionary discipline

A major national study published in JAMA Network Open found that the presence of an armed school official was not associated with fewer injuries and was actually  associated with a significantly higher death rate in mass school shootings after controlling for school and location factors.

SO residents should really ask…

What’s the problem Districts believe police in schools solves – other than ‘it makes some parents feel better’?  

What is the history, in data that shows the need, and what is the empirical evidence that this spending will solve it?  

How are you tracking outcomes and can you show us the results?

If security spending triples, what changed?

Or

Did this footprint expand without any clear evidence?

Security infrastructure is not neutral.

Expanded surveillance, monitoring systems and police presence can create:

Student privacy concerns
Data retention and access risks
Increased student police interaction
Disproportionate impacts on some student groups
A shift from educational environment toward enforcement environment

There’s a trade-off and families should be clear about what they are.

Personnel, systems and service contracts that span years don’t just disapear- they can impact budgets for years to come.

So if you are in a district where instructional spending stays flat the trade-offs connected to security spending matters.