Birmingham Community Charter to seek federal school-violence prevention grant for cameras, lighting and guard shack

District staff told the Birmingham Community Charter High District board that the district will apply for a U.S. Department of Justice School Violence Prevention Program grant to upgrade campus cameras, add exterior lighting and replace the campus guard shack.

The presenter, a district staff member, said the application would cover a package of security upgrades including replacement of roughly 150 cameras, new lighting on the north side of campus near the parking lot (not the softball field) and a new guard shack. The presenter said the district expects total costs around $651,000 and that the DOJ program will fund up to $500,000; the district would provide a 25% local match. "We want to upgrade all of our cameras, which is very expensive, and we have a lot of cameras, about a 150," the presenter said. "We're proposing to get new lighting out on on the north side of campus, back where the softball field is. Not for the softball field, but for the parking lot and dark areas, dark zones."

The presenter told the board the resolution before them would authorize submitting the grant application and identified a grant writer, Lindsay, as supporting the effort and deans Mike Serrano and Tommy Elmore as having provided input on costs and specifications. Board members asked clarifying questions about total cost and grant limits; when asked for the total project amount the presenter cited $651,000 and confirmed that the maximum DOJ award would be $500,000 with the remainder to be matched locally.

Board members also asked whether the grant would fund personnel. The presenter said the grant's preference is for capital items and that "if we do boots on the ground, maybe like a small percentage they would cover," but that the district was following the grant writer's guidance to tailor the application to increase competitiveness. The presenter said the district had applied previously and not received the award, and had engaged a specialist grant writer for this application.

The item was presented to the board as an action item and staff asked the board to vote on a resolution to authorize the application. The transcript does not record a motion or the board's vote on the resolution during the meeting.

Without a recorded vote, no formal board decision is shown in the transcript; the board could act on the resolution at the same meeting or at a later meeting depending on standard board procedures.