Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Stengel's response to Keyes: 'nonsense'

Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 4, 2006 at midnight

Text size  

More Airlines & Aerospace

More stories »

The head of the group backing an amendment on school funding said Friday the measure would not affect efforts to bolster security.

Rep. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, said most money for security comes from federal sources or building funds, which are not affected by Amendment 39 on next Tuesday's ballot.

But Douglas County School District security chief Larry Borland called Stengel's comment "absolute nonsense."

Borland said security comes out of the same money used for other school operations and would be affected by Amendment 39.

Borland heads the Colorado Association of School Security and Law Enforcement Officers, which opposes Amendment 39.

The proposal would require school districts to spend 65 percent of their operational budgets on classroom instruction. That would leave 35 percent for everything else - including security.

Earlier this week, Ellen Keyes of Bailey warned that Amendment 39 would hurt security. She is the mother of 16-year-old Emily Keyes, who was shot to death by a man who held her and five other girls hostage at Platte Canyon High Schoo in September.

Keyes said security officers would be in competition for limited funds with bus drivers, lunch room workers, nurses, counselors, psychologists, principals - all of whom would have to be funded from the 35 percent available for non-classroom expenditures.

Stengel's comment Friday came in response to Keyes.

"The majority of school spending on safety is part of the capital budget, which is not affected by Amendment 39," Stengel said in a written statement.

"In addition, school districts receive federal and state grants that must be used for school safety. Amendment 39 does not affect either of these budgets."

But Borland said Keyes got it right.

"Most security costs in schools are related to personnel," Borland said. Their cost comes out of the portion of the budget that funds the rest of school operations.

"The federal governement at this point pays almost nothing for law enforcement and pays nothing for school security officers," Borland said.