How Declining Enrollment and Budget Cuts Are Affecting School Safety

Public school enrollment is declining across much of the United States, forcing districts to make difficult decisions about staffing, budgets, and school facilities. While much of the conversation has focused on classroom resources, teacher layoffs, and school closures, these changes can also have implications for school safety operations.

A July 2026 Bellwether analysis projects that public school enrollment will decline by approximately 2.7 million students, or 6%, between fall 2022 and fall 2031. Declining birth rates, population shifts, and changes in where families choose to educate their children are among the contributing factors.

For districts whose funding is tied to enrollment, fewer students can mean fewer resources. Yet responsibilities such as emergency planning, behavioral threat assessment, security system maintenance, and staff training do not necessarily decrease alongside enrollment.

In a recent National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD) community discussion, school safety professionals shared how budget pressures and school consolidation are affecting their work, raising questions about how districts can maintain safety operations when resources become increasingly limited.

How Budget Cuts Affect School Safety Staffing and Workloads

At one school district, budget reductions nearly resulted in the elimination of a dedicated school safety position, according to a safety professional who requested anonymity.

The professional described how significant budget cuts prompted recommendations to reduce the district's prevention and safety team. Although the position was ultimately retained, staff roles were reclassified to allow employees to take on additional responsibilities as other positions and resources were reduced.

Kalim Ahmad Ansari, security coordinator for Green Dot Public Schools in Los Angeles, described the potential ripple effects of declining enrollment and financial pressures.

"Security staffing, contracted services, and investments in technology like surveillance cameras and access control can all take a hit when budgets tighten," Ansari wrote in the NCSSD discussion.

He also emphasized that school safety must remain an organizational responsibility, particularly when employees are asked to take on duties outside their usual roles.

"When resources become limited, people inevitably find themselves wearing multiple hats and supporting areas they may not have been responsible for in previous years," he said.

The anonymous safety professional raised similar concerns about districts where emergency management and security responsibilities are assigned to employees whose primary duties lie elsewhere.

In smaller districts, these responsibilities may fall to administrators, transportation directors, teachers, or other personnel who have the necessary knowledge and commitment but limited time to devote to school safety.

The professional said colleagues in these combined roles sometimes struggle to find time to develop safety plans, coordinate drills, prepare for emergencies, and address other safety needs. Some rely on neighboring districts for assistance.

The professional also noted that even dedicated school safety personnel regularly turn to colleagues for ideas, guidance, and support. However, employees who balance school safety duties with other responsibilities may struggle to find the time to put that guidance into practice.

What Happens When Preventive Safety Work Is Deferred?

Staffing is only one consideration. Budget pressures can also affect the less visible work required to maintain school safety systems and emergency preparedness.

Dr. Denise Chatam Walker pointed to the potential effects of budget reductions on preventive school safety measures.

She described how budget pressures can lead to deferred camera repairs, broken locks being temporarily chained, postponed preventive maintenance, canceled training exercises, and emergency operations plans being updated by an overextended safety director.

Walker compared school security preparedness to fire safety, which schools routinely address through inspections, equipment maintenance, and drills.

"We don't wait for a fire to practice fire safety. Why should we wait for a school safety incident to practice security?" she asked.

She argued that school safety should remain integrated into district budgeting, maintenance, training, audits, and daily operations rather than receiving attention primarily after an incident.

School Consolidation Brings Different Safety Considerations

Enrollment declines do not always result in reduced safety staffing or services. Some districts are navigating school consolidation while maintaining existing safety resources.

At North Shore School District 112 in Illinois, declining enrollment at one of the district's dual-language elementary schools prompted a review of the program's future, according to Solveig Jurmu, the district's director of safety and security and an NCSSD member.

The district established a Dual Language Task Force involving school staff and parents to evaluate its options. Ultimately, the district decided to consolidate its dual-language elementary programs, with students from one school transitioning to another in fall 2027.

Jurmu said the consolidation is not expected to affect school safety staffing or technology, and no employees are expected to lose their jobs. Staff will be reassigned to other buildings, with positions eliminated through attrition as employees retire.

Transportation routes will change as students move between buildings, although Jurmu said it remains unclear whether additional buses will be needed.

Jurmu credited the involvement of staff and families through the task force as an important part of the decision-making process.

Additional information about the district's transition is available through its dual-language program planning page.

Finding Opportunities During School Closures

School closures may also create opportunities for emergency response training.

Laurie Elkins, a school safety advocate and founder of Command GoBag, suggested that districts preparing to close or demolish buildings consider allowing local law enforcement agencies to conduct training in those facilities before they are taken out of service.

Elkins noted that most law enforcement officers train on commercial and residential doors, while properly installed school doors can present different challenges.

Vacant school buildings could provide opportunities to practice breaching techniques and conduct exercises in hallways and other spaces without the same concerns about disrupting students or damaging occupied facilities.

Maintaining School Safety Amid Budget Pressures

As districts adjust to declining enrollment and tighter budgets, decisions about staffing, facilities, and resource allocation can have implications for school safety.

The experiences shared by NCSSD members illustrate that maintaining safety operations involves more than retaining positions or assigning responsibilities. Districts must also consider whether personnel have sufficient time, training, and resources to carry out those responsibilities as staffing structures and school facilities change.