West Virginia’s cash-strapped public schools can’t afford to make millions of dollars in security improvements, including secure front entrances and weapon detection systems.
According to the state Department of Education, schools need $258 million in state funding for the current school year to improve school safety. Finances of the districts Contributions to schools – fees, taxes and more – do not cover the majority of needs.
According to the report, 272 schools still do not have secure school entrances – so-called traps – with two interlocking doors and a control system.
Jonah Adkins, director of the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Safety Support Systems, told lawmakers On Sunday, those costs discourage schools from making safety improvements.
“We have no money to give,” he said.
This year, West Virginia saw a spike in school threats, prompting Gov. Jim Justice to take action Start a school safety task force in September to address concerns.
“We have people targeting children and schools to do bad things,” Adkins said.
Justice proposed $1 million last month for funding school safety but noted that the money “wouldn’t go far enough.” Lawmakers have allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to schools in the state budget for school safety.
Several Republicans said they don’t understand why security improvements like human traps still haven’t been completed.
“I imagine most of us think that this is the priority of our schools … if we have these needs, why haven’t we taken care of it? “Is this just a priority issue?” Del asked. House Education Committee Chairman Joe Ellington, R-Mercer.
WVDE leaders said state funding is insufficient to fund safety improvements as school districts had financial problems. Declines in student enrollment and children leaving public schools to enter the state’s Education Savings Account program have continued to cause funding problems.
Some of the safety measures are required by state law.
“The overall cost is pretty prohibitive for some counties,” he said Micah Whitlow, director of the WVDE Office of School Facilities.
In response, Del asked. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha: ‘If these counties can’t afford it, then they don’t have it, right?’ So it’s basically up to us as legislators to make it happen.”
Adkins said there are some grants available to counties for safety improvements. “The scope of what these funds can be used for is very limited,” he said.
He told lawmakers that the state should prioritize creating safe entrances at every school, which would cost an estimated $87 million.
The schools also requested: $32 million for security improvements to windows and doors; $32 million for surveillance cameras; and $25 million for weapon detection systems.
Schools also need $30 million Prevention and resource officer as some schools continue to share an officer.
Additionally, the WVDE found that 177 schools still needed additional emergency access roads and currently only had one road in and out of the school. A price tag was not known.
“…The need is great…I propose that we work together to prioritize this need,” Adkins told lawmakers. “We know we’ll never do it all at once, but if we do it every year, I think we can make good progress.”
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