Leander ISD board mulls campus safety following Conn. shooting

"My recommendation is to include the $1.5 million and roll it forward to the 2013 bond sale," Champion said.

Along with the $1.5 million already allocated for security upgrades, Champion said staff will consider using additional unsold bond money intended for other projects to fund security upgrades.

School board President Pamela Waggoner said the board will need to understand and approve funding of any additional security upgrades. In all, at least 15 campuses are being considered for changes, staff said.

"If we are talking about retrofitting and redoing elementary schools or any school, other monies are having to come in," Waggoner said. "That can be from another bond package, from not opening up another elementary school or something like that, but it has to come from somewhere."

Board members discussed an array of short- and long-term measures designed to make campuses safer, including architectural changes to limit access to entrances and adding a district-hired police force. Champion said the staff will bring their research and recommendations to the board during the next several months.

In the week following the shooting, Champion said he met with principals and staff to identify and remedy immediate safety concerns. The district responded publicly the day of the shooting and is pursuing an external audit of their current safety plan, he said.