In light of the recent Sandy Hook school shootings, extra security measures are in the works for the Fox School District. And they'll be paid for with unexpected money earned from the $18.5 million capital improvement bond issue that voters approved in August.
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In November, the district earned an extra $2.5 million when half of the bonds were issued, Superintendent Dianne Critchlow explained in a letter on the district's website. The district is anticipating another $2 million when the rest of the bonds are issued in late spring.
"You may ask yourself, how can this occur?" Critchlow said in the letter. "As much as we would like to predict the market, we can’t. However, all the stars aligned (and the market) for the school district... I feel very fortunate that we have the extra monies to spend on our children’s safety."
The district is currently in the bidding process for buzzer systems with the hope of installing a system in each building as soon as possible, Critchlow said in the letter. Previous plans to move the district's administrative offices to the Fox C-6 Service Center have been put on hold to focus on improving student safety.
The district will also seek advice on other school safety measures from the community in a Safety Summit set for Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. The event will be held at the Service Center at 849 Jeffco Blvd. Registration is required for the event, and seating is limited. You can reserve your seat here.
See related articles:
- Newtown Tragedy: Fox Staff Ready to Respond to Student Questions
- Fox School District Implements New Safety Procedures
- Arnold Police Chief Says Guns Do Not Belong in School
- Fox Tribute to Victims of Sandy Hook School Shooting
This seems a bit like when the City of Arnold overtaxed for Strawberry Creek, and then instead of returning the money, or using it for Strawberry Creek, they pocketed it, and put it in a slush fund (General Fund), with the argument that since it was overage, it wasn't earmarked.