NCSSD Member Spotlight: Josh Warnke

Title: Life Safety Infrastructure Specialist
Organization: Boise School District
Years in School Safety: 8

About Josh

School safety is often associated with security directors, emergency managers, and law enforcement professionals. But many of the systems that help keep schools safe are designed, maintained, and supported by professionals working behind the scenes.

For Josh Warnke, a Life Safety Infrastructure Specialist with the Boise School District, school safety is closely connected to the communications and infrastructure systems schools depend on every day and during emergencies. His work modernizing public address systems highlights the important role that facilities, technology, and infrastructure professionals play in creating safer schools.

Path to School Safety

Josh's path into school safety began with a webinar focused on school security and access control.

"Our department signed up for a free webinar that was supposed to be more about securing doors," he said. "It involved some statistics on school shootings that made me reach out for more information."

That experience led him to additional webinars, training opportunities, white papers, and professional networks focused on K-12 safety and security.

"The cold, hard statistics presented during those early trainings are what still drive me today," he said. "I found ZeroNow and then NCSSD and could not be happier to have the ability to talk shop with others who are passionate about this field."

A Project He's Proud Of

Josh recently completed NCSSD's Foundations of School Safety Leadership (FoSSL) certificate program and is currently preparing for the Physical Security Professional (PSP) certification.

He is particularly proud of the district's efforts to modernize aging public address systems.

"We have been converting older analog and legacy PA systems in our district to modern IP endpoints," he said. "While the old systems were still functioning incredibly well, the capabilities of our modern PA systems vastly outweigh the older systems."

Current Priorities and Challenges

Like many school safety professionals, Josh says funding remains one of the biggest challenges.

To maximize available resources, Boise has adopted a phased approach to modernization by integrating existing infrastructure with newer technologies.

"We have hybridized legacy PA systems using existing amplifiers and analog-to-IP gateways," he explained. "That has greatly reduced costs while giving older systems modern capabilities as we work toward full network and PA upgrades."

One Lesson for Other School Safety Leaders

When asked what lesson has had the greatest impact on his work, Josh's answer was simple:

"Buy-in," he said. "So much of what we do requires buy-in and advocacy."

Why NCSSD?

Josh joined NCSSD to continue growing professionally and connect with others working in school safety.

"I wanted to grow and expand in the K-20 safety space. The NCSSD seemed like an excellent way to do that," he said. "Seeing folks on the roster like Guy Grace, Guy Bliesner, and several others sealed it for me."

Looking Ahead

Josh is focused on continuing to grow in the education security profession. As he prepares for a move to Montana, he hopes to build new professional connections and continue making a positive impact on school safety efforts throughout the state.

His advice to fellow members?

"Spread the word about NCSSD. It has helped me immensely, and I hope I have helped others as well through our membership."