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Cabot board weighs dedicated mills, grant awards and staffing to bolster school security
Summary
Superintendent outlined district safety staffing and a range of funding options — including a proposed 2.5-mill dedicated levy — and said prior grants covered intercoms and fencing; staff will return with a recommendation and outreach plan before any ballot decision.
Superintendent and safety staff told the Cabot School District Board at its meeting that the district must weigh options to pay for security upgrades, including a possible dedicated millage. The presentation described current staffing, recent grant awards and an outreach timeline if the board pursues a ballot measure.
"We were awarded just over $339,000" for priority-1 safety items, the presenter said, and noted an earlier allocation of about $506,800 for similar work. The superintendent said the district currently budgets roughly $835,000 in salaries and benefits for safety and security positions, and listed 15 staff assigned to safety: "8 law enforcement officers, 4 campus security guards, a chief of police, a lieutenant, and a dispatcher."
District staff explained the difference between M&O (maintenance and operations), debt-service mills and dedicated mills, and gave a revenue rule of thumb: "1 mill generates $957,719" for the Cabot School District, according to the presentation. Using that figure, staff said a 2.5 dedicated-mill levy would produce about $2,100,000 at a 90% collection rate and could be written on the ballot to cover items the Safe Schools Division identifies as eligible, such as access control, lockdown hardware, communications and surveillance.
Presenters emphasized there are trade-offs and timing constraints. Staff gave a timeline for action: the board would need to adopt a resolution and a fiscal plan in January to meet calendar deadlines for a spring/special or May election; mills placed on a May ballot would begin producing revenue in the 2026 tax cycle and would be collected as taxes are paid over that fiscal year.
Board members and staff discussed alternatives to new personnel, including volunteer programs ("Panther Patrol" and "Hallway Heroes") and the district's current budgeted line items (camera replacements, intercoms, background-check tools and firewall/protection services). The superintendent said she and finance staff would return with refined cost estimates and outreach materials explaining the tax impact on typical assessed values.
The board did not vote on a millage at the meeting. Staff said they would bring a formal recommendation and sample ballot language to a future meeting before asking voters to decide.
