Paterson school board looks to expand in-house security staff
PATERSON — The Board of Education is looking to increase its in-house school security staff, while cutting the use of guards provided by a private vendor, officials said Tuesday.
The school board last week changed its private security company as it approved an $8.2 million contract with Allied/Universal Security Services for the upcoming year. Allied/Universal replaces Arrow Security, which officials said decided to cancel what had been an $8.58 million contract with the district.
Under the new contract, officials said, there will be changes in the number of private security guards being used and in how they will be deployed in city schools. But officials declined to provide details on the changes, citing “security concerns.”
The changes come after Paterson had two high-profile acts of school violence during 2022-23. Three guns were seized in and around John F. Kennedy High School last December after a brawl in the hallway. Then, in February, a student at Eastside High School was fatally stabbed in an attack across the street from the school at afternoon dismissal.
Officials said the district already was planning to increase its reliance on staff security guards before those two incidents.
“I have full confidence in our security staff,” said school board member Manny Martinez. “We’re not going to miss a beat when it comes to student safety.”
At the start of 2023, the district had seven security supervisors and 50 security officers on its payroll, according to public records. Officials have not disclosed how those numbers would change under the shift away from using private guards.
Representatives of Arrow Security could not be reached for comment on why they canceled their Paterson contract. School board member Kenneth Simmons said the company was not able to meet the district’s request in terms of the number of guards.
District officials said the Arrow contract cancellation put Paterson schools in jeopardy of not having enough security workers in place for the start of classes in September. To avoid that, officials said, the district hired Allied/Universal through an expedited state contract instead of going through the more time-consuming public bidding process.
The president of the Paterson teachers’ union applauded the plan to bolster the district’s in-house security staff.
“You get what you pay for,” said John McEntee Jr., the union's leader. “Privatizing these type of services is never a good thing.”
McEntee said he hopes the changes will result in more Paterson residents joining the district’s security staff and getting what he described as well-paying jobs with good benefits.
The district’s security officers make between $35,000 and $57,000, according to payroll records. The supervisors’ salaries are in the $70,000 range.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.
Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ BOE looks to expand in-house school security staff
