MOUNT VERNON – Five Knox County school districts will receive a combined $926,468 as part of a $68 million fund to enhance school safety across the state.
The recipients include the Centerburg, Danville, Fredericktown and Mount Vernon school systems as well as the Knox County Career Center, according to a list published on Gov. Mike DeWine's website.
Writing for The Center Square, J.D. Davidson reports that just days after pushing for a school resource officer in every school across Ohio, DeWine announced the state would spend nearly $70 million in federal funds to improve safety at more than 900 schools.
The fourth round of funding, $68 million, goes to 945 schools. All awards are subject to eligibility verification, UEI and SAM registration and Ohio supplier registration, according to the state website.
The money is part of the K-12 Safety Grant Program that uses federal money allocated for COVID-19 relief to provide safety upgrades. A total of $112 million was part of a bill DeWine signed in December, more than doubling the program’s initial funding of $105 million that was part of the state budget.
"When we created the K-12 School Safety Grant Program, we expected that the need for funding would far exceed the amount of money available, but I vowed to go back to the Legislature and ask for more," DeWine said. "Now, with the generous support of the Ohio General Assembly, I'm proud to announce that every single qualifying school that applied for a grant will receive funding."
House Democrats applauded the funding, but used the announcement to urge lawmakers to take on gun and mental health issues.
“When parents send their kids to school, worrying about their child’s safety should be the last thing they have to think about,” said House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington). “This type of continued investment to improve our schoolchildren’s safety and security is possible thanks to federally funded ARPA dollars and House Democrats’ support of HB45. But this General Assembly can and must do more to address the gun violence plaguing many communities and the safety of schools, as well as ensure all children get the mental and behavioral health supports they need to thrive.”
Earlier this week, DeWine proposed the state fund a school resource officer in every school in the state.
A total of $173 million has been awarded to 2,374 Ohio K-12 schools to help pay for physical security expenses such as new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems and exterior lighting. Eligible schools could receive as much as $100,000 per building.
