Opinion ID: 2294246
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 33

Heading: Security Aid

Text: Security aid is provided to all students as a categorical aid. Enhanced security aid is provided to all at-risk students using a sliding scale, which accounts for the rate of at-risk students in a particular district. N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-56. Security aid covers costs associated with school security including security guards, metal detectors, and card readers for entering and exiting buildings. Davy, 1 T 36:9-15. Security aid is provided for every student in the State in the amount of $70. D-12 at 14. The amount of resources needed for security aid was derived using the PJP panels. Ibid. In addition, further security aid is provided for at-risk pupils using a sliding scale, which increases the amount of per-pupil aid as the district's percentage of at-risk students increases. Ibid. The scale levels off at a 40% at-risk student population, providing $406/pupil in additional security aid to those districts. Ibid. The DOE established the additional aid amount for at-risk pupils by determining the amount of additional security guards it deemed appropriate and deriving a per pupil cost, which the DOE determined to be a maximum of $402/pupil. Attwood, 5 T 25:22-26:7; see also Davy, 1 T 87:18-88:11. To calculate a district's base security aid, one would multiple the total district enrollment by the per-pupil security amount of $70, and then multiply by the GCA. To determine the additional security aid for at-risk students, one multiplies the additional aid amount (determined using the sliding scale) by the at-risk enrollment, and then adjusts using the GCA. To determine the total amount of security aid, the two sums are added together. N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-56; see also Attwood, 5 T 68:2-69:12. Security Aid = [(Total Enroll × Base Security Amount) + (At-Risk Enroll × At-Risk Security Amount)] × GCA = [(24,624 × $70) + (19,472 × 406)] × .9987 = $9,616,794