Officials with Gainesville City Schools are preparing to spend about $40,000 to “enhance the safety and security for staff and personnel at the central administration office.

Chief Operations Officer Adrian Niles told the Board of Education at a meeting this week that security improvements will be made to enclose offices from the front entrance.

Moreover, the project includes a new counter space for workers and front-office staff, and a sheetrock wall with a glass-enclosed, storefront-like entrance that separates the main lobby from internal offices with an automatic electrical door latch that has push-button and card-reader access.

The funding for the project comes from special purpose local option sales tax revenue and the project has been contracted to Carroll Daniel Construction Co. Inc. of Gainesville.

Safety upgrades at local campuses have been a continuing priority for Gainesville City Schools, and officials have pressed the issue since a deadly shooting at a high school in Florida in February 2018.

A new school resource officer was hired last year, officials have begun implementing new counseling services for students and families, and the school system received about $81,000 from the state to help pay for additional safety updates.