District 6 describes new command center, warns key safety grants will end
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Summary
At its March 23 meeting, the Greeley-Evans School District 6 board heard an annual safety-and-security update detailing a new command center, expanded school resource officer coverage and grant-funded threat-assessment and restorative-practices positions that will need long-term funding when federal grants end.
Board President Masch and district leaders received a detailed safety-and-security briefing on March 23 as part of the district’s Innovation 2030 updates.
The superintendent’s office and safety staff outlined a five-pillar framework for school safety and described a newly operational district command center that monitors surveillance cameras, controls access remotely and provides direct radio links to first responders. Brad Luebke, the district’s director of safety and security, said the center gives staff the ability to lock down or secure a school from a central location and to communicate directly with dispatchers.
Why it matters: staff said the command center and other technology were funded in part by state and federal grants. Agency staff flagged two grants that enabled recent work: a school security disbursement grant that provided $509,000 to stand up the command center and a STOP/BJA grant that funds the district’s threat-assessment coordinator and restorative-practices coordinator.
"We hit that 80% mark this year" on a districtwide safety perception measure, a safety official said, noting the data was used as part of the district’s STOP grant metrics. The official added that the STOP grant funds positions that are scheduled to sunset and that the district will have to consider budget and grant strategies to sustain the work.
During board questions, Director Azari pressed staff on next steps once the STOP grant ends. Superintendent Dr. Pilch told the board the district does not expect that particular federal grant to be a permanent renewal; staff will look for new grants and consider options during future budget cycles but cautioned that districtwide budget cuts are likely in coming years.
District staff highlighted measurable outcomes tied to restorative practices: since adding a restorative-practices coordinator the district has seen an approximate 13% reduction in in-school suspensions and a roughly 16% drop in out-of-school suspensions, while restorative circles increased from dozens to roughly 1,200 districtwide.
What the board said: directors praised the safety team’s partnerships with Greeley Police, Evans Police and the Weld County Sheriff’s Office and called the data and command-center capabilities encouraging. Several directors thanked staff for community-facing work such as "safe routes to school" traffic calming and coordination with city traffic operations.
Next steps: staff said emergency operations plans and site audits will continue to be updated annually; they also said they will continue to pursue grant opportunities and to evaluate how to absorb key positions into district budgets if grant funding is not renewed.
The board did not take formal action on funding at the meeting; directors directed staff to continue exploring grant and budget options.
