Improving Baltimore Public Schools Safety and Security using Project Management Processes

School shootings in Dr. Victor Arotimi the United States have become an epidemic Pupil Personnel that is hard to contain. Services It cut short the lives Prince George’s County of innocent students, Public Schools causing the family to mourn their young children that were once thought to bring fortune to the family after graduating from school, creating a big loss that can never be regained. If the shooting is not targeting the student, it will be at the school’s staff or administrator. School violence and shootings are disturbing, and it not only affects the family, it affects the school community, the county, the state and the country at-large. Baltimore schools are not excluded from the schools having this problem. Recently, a gunman shot a staff member at Fredrick Douglas high school causing the entire school to be in a panic until it was confirmed safe again for the students and staff. The question becomes, how can we stop the spread of this shooting epidemic in our Baltimore schools using project management knowledge areas? The following project management knowledge areas can be utilized to implement safety and security in Baltimore public schools. Project Cost Management According to the Baltimore County Blue Print 2.0 Performance Report, it was envisaged that every school and office would be safe and secure, promote individual well-being, and provide positive, respectful, and caring environments for teaching, learning, and working. The Baltimore County Board of Education approved 45% of its total budget for implementing the safety and security initiatives in various schools

throughout the county (BCPS Performance Report 2012-2015). In managing this project, the Board of Education ensures that funds are disbursed directly to the office of security through the operations management department to ensure the timely disbursement of funds to implement the safety initiative. Project Communication Management Communication plays a major role as an essential catalyst in ensuring the success of the project. As stakeholders meet on an intermittent basis to evaluate the success of the school safety and security plan, ample opportunities should be accorded to each stakeholder to air their views. Speaking and active listening are essential to effective communication. Virtual communication can play a key role as key players may not always physically converge to deliberate on issues relating to safety and security in the school system.

“School violence and shootings is disturbing, and it not only affects the family, it affects the school community, the county, the state and even the country at- large.” Project Stakeholder Management In planning and executing the project of safety and security in Baltimore County schools the operations director also acts as the project manager. He or she should have an open policy during the execution of the project. The leader should be able to earn the trust and respect of each stakeholder and accommodate diverse viewpoints. Along these lines, it is the responsibility of the project manager to collaborate with other stakeholders in order to deliver the project at a reasonable cost and on time. Project Resources Management Staff training is an essential component of project management in planning and executing safe and secure learning environments for staff and students. To ensure the successful implementation of the district wide safety and security of staff and students, it is essential that key players, such as security officers, police, investigative officers, gang units, cyber unit’s administrative secretaries, and other staff are trained and capable of playing their roles effectively to ensure the implementation of the project. It is noteworthy that successful implementation of the project will ultimately lead to school safety and produce an environment condu

cive to teaching and learning. “Implementation of the safety and security project in schools should ensure that base administrative and security teams, staff, students, parents and families are aware of the evacuation plan in each building.”

Project Procurement Management An office of procurement must ensure that bids and contract awards are competitive and awarded to contractors who can oversee the contract at a minimum cost, while not neglecting the quality of products. In managing this project, the office of procurement ensures that funds allocated by the board of education are utilized judiciously. To ensure school safety, the office of procurement and logistics will manage the delivery of security apparatuses such as security cameras, sniffing dogs, and staff and student identification badges. The budget office will partner with the office of procurement to ensure fiscal responsibility and monitor the project. Project Constraints Project managers might be confronted with time management and task accomplishment. It is essential that projects are executed based on budget and priorities. It should also be based on the availability of the tools essential to the project. Overall, the success of safety and security in Baltimore County schools is contingent on efficient project management and ongoing training of pertinent stakeholders. Additionally, since school discipline is known to be a critical component of school safety and security, project managers should consider developing and training students, staff and administrators on how to be safe within the school environment to be successful.

References:

Baltimore County Public Schools. Blueprint 2.0 Performance Report (2012-2015). Division of Accountability and Assessment (2016), Baltimore, Maryland. Retrieved from https://www.bcps.org/blueprint/safety.html

US. Department of Education, National Center for Educations Statistics. (2019). Indicators of School Crime and Safety. 2018 (NCES 2019-047). Indicator 19. Retrieved from https://www.schoolsecurity.org/resource/schoool-secuirty-andschool emergency-funding