By Tabitha Evans Moore
Editor & Publisher
LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — On Monday, the Moore County Board of Education (MCBOE) discussed their intent to pursue a federal grant of up to $500,000 to help pay for a ranked list of security upgrades across both district campuses.
Director of Schools Chad Moorehead presented board members with four priorities, in order: new classroom intercom systems, upgraded radio equipment for buses and staff, an updated security camera system, and a weapons detection system. The board voted unanimously to accept the ranking, though members did not authorize spending on any of the four projects Monday.
The district plans to apply Tuesday for the federal COPS School Violence Prevention Program grant, Moorehead explained. The grant requires a 25 percent local match, meaning the district would need to contribute $125,000 toward a full $500,000 award. Grant recipients are not expected to be announced until October, and funding might not reach the district until the following school year, according to Moorehead.
If the district receives the full award, an estimated $200,000 would go towards a new intercom system at both schools. State law requires all classrooms to have a two-way communication system, he said, and the district’s current equipment — installed at both the elementary and high schools — is old enough that replacement parts and technicians have become difficult to find.
“Our current system is old enough that we’re having issues with them now, and we can’t find people to work on them,” Director Moorehead told the Board.
Earlier this year, Metro Moore County upgraded its radio system to broadcast to all four corners of the county. {Click here to read our original coverage of that upgrade.} Item number two on Director Moorehead’s wish list includes school bus radios that can utilize that new system.
“In order for us to add those types of radios to our school buses and even our handhelds, it’s going to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $65,000 to upgrade those,” Director Moorehead told the group.
Third on the list is a security camera system upgrade. Moorehead said the district is still collecting quotes and is trying to avoid a subscription-based system. One option under consideration — which would reuse the district’s existing cameras while replacing the server and software — would cost $60,000 in the first year and $20,000 annually after that.
“I don’t like paying subscriptions,” Director Moorehead explained. “Everything that you purchase now comes with a subscription, and so we’re really trying to find a system where we purchase it, and it belongs to us.”
Moorehead also told the board that some camera technology previously purchased by school districts is now barred from purchase because it was manufactured in China.
The fourth item on the list is a weapons detection system priced at $90,000. Board members were able to test demonstration units earlier this year.
Moorehead said his office would return to the board with updates as vendor quotes and grant details are finalized.
Board member Kaleigh Hatfield made a motion to approve Moorehead’s numbered lists of priorities and Ed Cashion seconded. There was no funding included in the motion.
Should the grant fall short, the board could instead turn to $330,521 in state fast-growth and outcomes funding the district received last year but has not yet budgeted, using the ranked list to determine which projects to fund first.
The Moore County Board of Education meets every second Monday of the month at either the Central Office, located behind the elementary school, or the MCHS Library. Per Board policy, agendas are posted 96 hours prior to the meeting and community members wishing to add an item to the agenda must do so 10 days prior to the meeting. Any Moore County resident or student legal guardian may be added to the public comment section of the meeting by contacting Director Moorehead in writing by 4 p.m. the day of the meeting. •
About the Lynchburg Times: The Lynchburg Times is the only news source in Moore County owned and operated by a Lynchburg native. It’s also one of the few women-owned newspapers in the state. Our editor boasts 20 years of experience covering Lynchburg. Our readers, small business partners, and corporate underwriters support community journalism because they believe it still matters. If this story was valuable to you, consider becoming a supporter at lynchburgtimes.com.