Grant Funding for School Security

Murfreesboro, TN, October 10, 2018 — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen announced that all 147 school districts in Tennessee have completed the first-ever statewide assessment of school facilities and safety procedures. Additionally, all districts have submitted applications to receive their allocations of the $35 million school security funding and may now use these funds to implement identified school security and safety needs.

In March, the governor’s School Safety Working Group recommended the statewide review of school facilities and safety procedures and precautions. The recommendation, accepted by the governor, led to immediate safety assessments by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Education and local school officials. This was the first time the state had led a comprehensive effort to determine the security needs at individual schools. Based on the findings following this assessment, all school districts were eligible to apply for two grants to receive funding for local safety and security needs.

The school security funding was included in the governor’s fiscal year 2019 budget and passed by the General Assembly. The funds include $25 million in one-time funding for schools to address vulnerabilities and risks, the School Safety and Security grant, and $10 million in recurring grant funding for ongoing safety and prevention programs, the Safe School grant. The grants are made on a reimbursement basis from the Tennessee Department of Education.

In many cases, these funds have allowed districts to make both minor and major improvements, such as enhanced door locks, improved visitor screening procedures and shatter-resistant glass that will provide long-term benefits to the school. Several districts used the grant allocations to improve mental health services for students by funding salaries for school counselors and child psychologists. The safety review process and related discussions also resulted in additional local funding for school safety, including an increase of 213 new school resource officers, primarily funded by local governments.

Additionally, as a result of the working group recommendations, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security is working to secure a developer to complete a statewide school safety mobile application. The application will be designed for use by students, faculty and staff to anonymously report concerning or suspicious behavior to local law enforcement and school officials.

Below is a graph showing recurring and non-recurring funds awarded to the schools in the 14th District along with the areas identified in their security assessment and grant application for use of funds. Funding amounts are based on the district’s relative share of the Basic Education Program (BEP).

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