Michael Tarter
Executive Director of Safety and Security
Rio Rancho Public School District
Rio Rancho, N.M.
Notable Achievements:
- Created a district-wide approach to safety and security from a site-based approach, motivating security employees and freeing principals from the responsibilities of dealing with day-to-day security problems
- Conducted an inventory of security property and eliminated duplication, maximizing resources and personnel; tens of thousands of dollars of savings were achieved
- Increased the responsibilities of security personnel, which led to increased salaries and benefits, as well as improved officer retention and recruitment
- Created an hourly substitute security officer pool, which allows for improved matching of personnel with sites and duties; has also helped reduce incidents by there being full staff even when someone misses a day of work
- Hired a private security company to respond to alarms, which led to reduced false alarm fines. This solution was less expensive than hiring additional security personnel. It also improved morale for officers and administrators
- Selected by the New Mexico Public Education Department Safety team to rewrite the state mandated safety template plan for all school districts
——Article Continues Below——
