The state’s $100 million school safety grant program was under scrutiny by lawmakers at a State Capitol hearing this week, featuring testimony by WCRIS Executive Director Sharon Schmeling.
When the School Safety Grant program was created in 2018, WCRIS successfully fought for private school inclusion. Thanks to that advocacy, private schools won $6 million in funding for locks, solid doors, intercoms, cameras, two-way radios, public address systems and other school security measures.
Legislators ordered a review of the program last year. They heard testimony on Wednesday from Attorney General Josh Kaul whose agency oversees the Office of School Safety. The hearing kicked off with a review of the “School Safety Grants and Plans” audit report from the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau. Every school in the state received a copy in December.
Schmeling testified about private schools’ use of the safety grant funds and explained why only 50 percent of private schools received grants, compared to 99.5 percent of public schools, as reported in the Audit.
Schmeling talked about the complexity of the grant program and the poorly timed deadlines at the beginning and end of the school year. She noted private school principals don’t have layers of staff to help them apply for grants and are not familiar with the state’s online grant system.
Schmeling encouraged legislators to support another round of grants for the public, charter and private schools that have not participated thus far, but whose buildings could benefit from increased security.
The estimated cost for covering those schools would be $9 million, if funded at the same level per school as the first two grant opportunities.
The program currently has $5 million in unused funds, Kaul reported.
In another finding that caught legislators attention, the Audit Bureau reported that over 40 percent of schools have not submitted their annual school safety plans as required by law. Legislators expressed concern and pondered whether some consequence or penalty was necessary in the future.
State law requires every school to annually submit a safety plan by January 1 to the Department of Justice Office of School Safety, whether or not a school received a grant.
But rather than create punishments for schools that have not completed safety plans, Schmeling urged more “carrots” to inspire the compliance legislators seek.
The grant process itself helps schools develop a safety plan. So, providing more grants would both improve the physical security of schools while also helping them comply with developing a safety plan, she said.
Speaking only for private schools, Schmeling said there’s a lot more knowledge in the private school community about the whole grant process now that it’s complete. She noted that many WCRIS schools received funding that led to needed improvements in school security. She said this experience would encourage other private schools to apply.
Legislators from both parties expressed interest in finding ways to support increased school security and noted that the effort has been happily non-partisan and successful in protecting children. You can watch the hearing on Wisconsin Eye.
WCRIS will continue to advocate for resources to help make all schools physically safer. Stay tuned for updates in future editions of Current Events.
