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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona’s top education official is urging Gov. Katie Hobbs and state lawmakers to approve an additional $40 million for school safety.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says the money would pay for more campus police officers and add counselors and social workers, positions some districts have cut amid budget shortfalls.
Horne called for increasing the state’s school safety funding to $120 million from its current $80 million.
Horne said the additional funding would help districts hire more than 200 school resource officers for Arizona public schools. He said some districts have asked for officers on campus, but could not afford the cost without state help.
“If there’s no money to give it to them, then they have to be denied for that reason,” Horne said. “And some maniac invades one of those schools and kills 20 kids. Imagine how horrible that would be.”
Horne pointed to a recent incident in Oklahoma in which a school principal tackled an armed person inside a school lobby, calling it an example of why schools need stronger safety measures.
“We admire the heroism, but it shouldn’t be that way,” Horne said.
Beyond officers, Horne said the money would also support behavioral health staffing, including counselors and social workers.
The push comes as some districts, including Peoria Unified School District, have cut social worker positions after grant funding expired, a move that drew criticism from parents and educators.
Peoria Unified said in a statement that “additional funding for school safety can be beneficial to school districts.”
Dr. Paul Tighe, executive director of the Arizona School Administrators, said educators are already stretched thin and that restoring support positions could help relieve some responsibilities and improve working conditions.
“There’s certainly a teacher shortage crisis,” he said.
Dr. Tighe said restoring those positions could help districts retain current teachers and recruit more into the classroom.
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