Friendswood ISD board approves 2021-22 teacher salary increase, spending bond funds on security system

“This now pulls it into their base salary,” she said.

Drafts of budget worksheets presented at the meeting indicate the district’s 2021-22 budget will have a projected deficit of nearly $2.2 million. Total revenues are set to significantly decrease, which is where the deficit comes from, Board President Tony Hopkins pointed out.

“Two million is a big number going into a year with so many unknowns in terms of enrollment,” Superintendent Thad Roher said June 14.

Trustees also approved the purchase of a Centegix CrisisAlert safety system, using approximately $316,000 of the $1 million designated in bond funds for security and safety upgrades. Another $142,000 of the $1 million was approved for use on a security vestibule at the high school at the end of May, leaving the district with a little less than half of the funds left to spend.

The crisis communication technology the system provides will give staff the ability to call a lockdown and request immediate assistance in the event of an emergency, as well as notifying local law enforcement of the location of the incident and extending alerts to building exteriors, per board documents. The CrisisAlert system also provides visuals, audio over a public address system, transmits over handheld radios and notifies devices on the district’s network.

District leaders believe the system’s wide reach, particularly the fact that it allows anyone on campus to call a lockdown, is essential in providing a safe learning environment for all students, according to Erich Kreiter, executive director of safety and operations.

“It’s totally going to bring safety to a new level and set us apart from other districts,” he said, adding the system is used in some San Antonio schools as well as in southern Florida’s Miami-Dade area. “There’s very few districts that have it right now.”