School safety grants totaling $1.2 million were awarded today to 10 school districts in the 49th Senatorial District, according to Senator Dan Laughlin.
School districts receiving the grants include:
- Erie City School District, $45,000.
- Fairview School District, $35,000
- General McLane School District, $40,000.
- Girard School District, $454,370.
- Harbor Creek School District, $40,000.
- Iroquois School District, $35,000.
- Millcreek Township School District, $258,840.
- North East School District, $232,530.
- Northwestern School District, $35,000.
- Wattsburg Area School District, $35,000.
Eligible uses for the grants include hiring school security officers, purchasing security-related technology, completing safety and security assessments, implementing violence prevention curricula, offering counseling services for students, and creating other programs to protect students.
The grants were awarded by the School Safety and Security Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) as part of the School Safety and Security Grant Program, which was created by lawmakers in 2018.
“Increased school safety funding is something that I believed was needed and I pushed for it to be included in the state budget. School safety is an issue that has been at the forefront of public opinion across the Commonwealth and I am glad that my request did not fall on deaf ears,” Senator Laughlin said. “I truly believe that these grants will address some of the concerns I have heard from my constituents regarding the safety of their children and grandchildren here in Erie County and across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
A total of approximately $53.7 million was awarded for 524 projects throughout the state in the current round of funding. PCCD received a total of 970 applications totaling $134.5 million for school safety projects in the current Fiscal Year.
In spite of the popularity and importance of the program, Governor Wolf’s 2020-21 budget proposed to cut $45 million from the program next year — a 75-percent reduction. Senate Republicans have made restoring this funding a top priority in budget negotiations.
Contact: Matt Azeles mazeles@pasen.gov (717) 787-8927