Las Cruces Public Schools invests another $2.1 million in security this school year

EL PASO, Texas — Safety and security are not only a priority for schools, but also for parents. This year, Las Cruces Public Schools is renewing its contracts with school resource officers and will also keep security officers on campus.

“One of our community’s top priorities is safety and security in our schools,” said LCPS Superintendent Ignacio Ruiz.

This year, the district is investing an additional $2.1 million in security infrastructure, on top of last year’s $10.7 million. This includes $3.7 million in salaries and benefits for security guards, custodians and SROs.

A district spokesman said the state has not allocated any money specifically for safety to the district. He said the district uses operating funds, capital funds and special revenue funds.

This new school year, LCPS will have a total of 13 SROs.

“We added an additional SRO, we have four schools and with one SRO it became a challenge to provide support to all four of our schools,” Ruiz said.

In addition, there are also security guards present on the campuses.

This year, Ruiz said there is also a focus on resource officers to help students in other ways besides security.

“That they are not only seen as security and peacekeepers, but also as mentors,” Ruiz said.

He said he hopes they will take on more leadership roles on campus.

“SROs have been very important in my life, allowing me to participate in things like Girl Scouts and after-school activities,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz said there is currently not enough money to deploy a full police force, as is the case in some districts, but he is confident that the current measures are sufficient.

“When you think about a department, it takes a lot of resources. We’re the second largest in the state, but we’re small enough that with the resources we have, we’re in a good position,” Ruiz said.