Commissioners’ Controversial Security Proposal Would Cost Douglas County Schools $10.5 Million Per Year
Evidence "inconclusive" for proposed system's effectiveness - cost would more than double current security budget
At the April 21st meeting of the Douglas County Board of Education, Directors considered a proposal from the Douglas County Commissioners to provide:
$347,300 in first-year funding for two new School Resource Officers (SROs) to serve Larkspur Elementary and Cherry Valley Elementary in Franktown
Nearly 10 times that amount, just over $3 million, to share costs for Evolv entryway security equipment for ten DCSD schools
The Douglas County Commissioners’ proposal specified the vendor (Evolv), the specific equipment setup for each of 10 DCSD schools, and a 48-month lease term. Commissioners invited Evolv representatives to a presentation with the District’s Safety and Security Committee and high school principals.
The proposal from the County Commissioners did not cover three critical points:
The evidence for the effectiveness of entryway security systems in schools
The costs of staffing those systems
How entryway security systems would fit into DCSD’s existing, comprehensive approach to safety and security
A multilayered approach to safety and security
Douglas County School District has prioritized security for years. Director of Safety and Security Jonny Grusing is a nationally recognized expert in his field who leads a comprehensive, multilayered strategy for the District’s safety and security. Many DougCo residents first heard Grusing’s name when he conducted a Safety and Security Forum for the community in the wake of the September Evergreen High School shooting. But Grusing has spent 5 years with DCSD and comes with over two decades of FBI service.
DCSD’s current annual operating budget for safety and security is $10 million; the District serves 61,535 students. (For reference, Cherry Creek School District (51,844 students) budgets $12.7 million for District Security and JeffCo Public Schools(74,177 students) budgets $13.1 million for Security and Emergency Management.) Grusing directs DCSD’s safety and security budget and has overseen the use of an additional one-time sum of $16 million approved by voters in 2023 and 2024. Those dollars were earmarked for capital improvements (e.g., secure vestibules, door hardware, camera systems, and fire systems) and human capital investments (e.g., SROs, Campus Security Specialists, and evening security at high schools).
In a presentation to the school board, Deputy Superintendent Danelle Hiatt emphasized the District’s focus on creating inclusive culture, a sense of belonging, community engagement, and strong relationships within schools as the foundation for school safety and security. Counselors, school psychologists, nurses, school social workers, and administrators are another key component in DCSD’s approach to supporting and ensuring the safety of all students. DCSD boasts that its 298:1 student to counselor ratio is one of the best in the region. However, it does not meet the 250:1 ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association.
Grusing noted that DCSD has more SROs and Campus Security Specialists than any other area school district. Douglas County Schools have also added night security at all comprehensive high schools, starting after school and continuing until buildings close at 10pm. Grusing pointed to these human resources and several other capital improvements, including stadium security measures, as critical elements of the District’s overall safety and security strategy.
What does the evidence say?
Entryway security systems - and the security personnel required to operate them - provide visible and tangible evidence that school leaders are doing something to address safety issues. However, critics suggest security companies have a profit motive to prey on fear.
Much of the evidence for the effectiveness of entryway security systems comes from the vendors themselves. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission took action against one of those vendors over “allegations that the company made false claims about the extent to which its AI-powered security screening system can detect weapons and ignore harmless personal items, including in school settings.” That vendor was Evolv, the vendor the Commissioners selected in 2025 for their proposed partnership with the school district.
Grusing confirmed that entryway metal detectors in schools have never been recommended as an additional safety measure by Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or other law enforcement partners. In response to a question from Director Brad Geiger about evidence that metal detectors reduce violence in schools, Hiatt answered, “The evidence of effectiveness is inconclusive.”
While the evidence for reducing violence and preventing shootings in schools is thin, researchers consistently report that “measures intended to combat school violence – such as the placement of school officers and the use of metal detectors – may also negatively affect the well-being of students and their sense of safety.” Given the data, school officials must carefully consider both the costs and the benefits of entryway security technologies and other investments in safety and security.
What are the costs?
Jonny Grusing estimated that the costs of staffing entryway security systems in ten DCSD schools would exceed $9 million per year — and that would not include the cost of the equipment itself. Grusing noted that the purpose of entryway security is to detect weapons so it must be staffed by armed security; in DCSD that means an SRO plus 2-4 additional security staff members for monitoring and search management.
Superintendent Kane noted that the total annual cost of $10.5 million for the security and equipment would be equivalent to over 140 DCSD staff positions. Devoting $10.5 million just for entryway security would require the District to more than double its current annual general fund operating budget for all safety and security. To afford these entryway security systems, the District would need to make $10.5 million in cuts to other programs, and Kane noted those cuts would be in addition to $15 million in cuts the District is already expecting for the 2027-2028 school year.
Where should schools invest…and who should decide?
Feedback from building-level leaders (like principals) revealed an extensive list of concerns about the installation of entryway security systems in DCSD high schools. Impacts on school culture, climate, and perception of safety, student wellbeing, staff workloads, and financial constraints were all concerns. Leaders also provided alternative ideas for investments in their individual schools’ safety. Ultimately, not one building-level administrator wanted to bring an entryway security system into their school — despite the Commissioners’ offer to pay the cost for any single school that requested one.
Data from KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation) suggest that less than 1 in 1,000 students in Colorado will be exposed to a school shooting. That’s too many. But for comparison, about 1 in 4 students in Colorado have one more more diagnosed emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions. And over 50% of students age 12-17 report difficulty accessing mental health care. When mental health concerns go unaddressed, their impact grows and worsens.
Many educators argue that school shootings become more likely as students feel more disconnected and disaffected at school — and as the adults around them lack the time and resources to address that disconnection and disaffection. This is the evidence-based rationale behind DCSD’s priority for relationships, belonging, inclusivity, and engagement.
Children who have one or more emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions in United States
As the Board of Education deliberated on a response to the Commissioners, Director Geiger expressed appreciation for Commissioner Laydon’s concern for DCSD students, noted that MLO and Bond funds could not be spent on this project, and in light of expected cuts proposed that both the effectiveness of the proposed Evolv equipment and current budget constraints make it impossible to accept the Commissioners’ cost sharing offer.
Directors unanimously passed a motion directing Superintendent Kane to draft a letter to the Commissioners thanking them for their generous offer and their commitment to school safety, and inquiring if they would be willing to redirect the $3 million from the Evolv technology to help fund secure vestibules in all DCSD middle schools and increase SRO coverage for DCSD’s most rural schools.
Questions we need answered:
Will the Douglas County Commissioners redirect their $3 million offer to help DCSD address its most critical needs for ensuring school safety and security?
In the face of looming budget cuts, how will DCSD prioritize investments in the student support they describe as the foundation for school safety — particularly with respect to student-to-counselor ratios and ensuring access to mental health support for students who need it?
To learn more about DCSD’s approach to safety and security, view the September 2025 Safety and Security Forum:
Related Articles:
Additional Reading:
Examining School Shootings at the National and State Level and Mental Health Implications
Youth Mental Health Statistics - Annie E. Casey Foundation
As More Schools Turn to AI Weapons Detection, Questions Persist
This is outstanding reporting and a very thorough summary of the Board of Education meeting.
Excellent reporting.