Des Moines schools detail $3.85M in "guardrails" spending, including security hires and SEL program

The Des Moines Public Schools superintendent and finance chief on Tuesday laid out nearly $3.85 million in proposed investments the district says are designed to protect students, expand supports and promote equitable access.

Superintendent Roberts said the package -- described as five "guardrails" -- covers English-language-learner access, social-emotional learning, staff recruitment and retention, family and partner engagement, and school safety. "We will stop at nothing and spare no expense when it comes to the safety and security of 100% of the students who knock on our doors," Roberts said.

CFO Shashank Kurura told the board the full package totals about $3,850,000, with roughly $1.6 million in new general-fund costs. Kurura said some expenses are existing budgets repurposed and some are new; the district expects to seek budget adjustments in May 2025 to accommodate changes.

Key line items Kurura identified include:

- Equity for English-language learners: about $400,000 total, with new general-fund impact limited primarily to increased transportation (said to be about $5,000 net in the presentation). Kurura noted central-campus instructional ELL supports would come from the ELL budget and could be offset by state spending-authority if exceeded.

- Social-emotional learning (Guardrail 2): the district plans to purchase Panorama data tools and adopt the Wayfinder SEL curriculum. Kurura said Wayfinder implementation is budgeted at about $1.6 million, of which roughly $350,000 would affect the general fund; the district is pursuing Title IV support from the state to cover up to $1 million of that expense.

- Staffing diversity and recruitment (Guardrail 3): proposed activities include a recruitment trip to HBCUs, affinity-group support and targeted advertising. The presentation listed $180,000 associated costs with an estimated $20,000 new general-fund impact.

- Family and partner engagement (Guardrail 4): new positions (chief of staff for philanthropic engagement and a data analyst) and a donor-tracking system were listed, with total guardrail costs presented near $470,000.

- Safety (Guardrail 5): a phased plan to increase public-safety officers was outlined. Kurura said Phase 1 would add seven security officers at an estimated cost close to $550,000; those public-safety expenses would be paid from PPEL funds rather than the general fund, he said, and some general-fund savings will be found by reallocating departmental budgets (not school building budgets).

Roberts emphasized that some costs can be offset and that the board will be asked to approve any substantive budget changes next spring. "If there is a cost which comes up, we have an opportunity to revise and update the budget in May 2025," Kurura said.

Board members sought clarification on several points, including whether Wayfinder training could be paid through Title IV and how the district will measure and report on implementation. Roberts said the district will return with more detail on head count changes and that any additional positions would follow board-approved processes.

The presentation included other district investments previously made, including hardening of buildings, digital weapons-detection software and partnerships with training organizations such as the I Love You Guys Foundation. "Those are just some of the investments, and there are many others," Roberts said.

What's next: district staff will continue refining cost estimates and will bring budget revisions and any personnel requests back to the board for formal approval in the April–May 2025 window.

Sources: presentation and remarks by Superintendent Roberts and CFO Shashank Kurura to the Des Moines Public Schools Board on Sept. 10, 2024.