PHOENIX — The Arizona Board of Education approved Monday about $50 million in new funding requests for schools to hire social workers, counselors, and school resource officers.
After the state allocated more funding to the Arizona School Safety Program, schools across the state submitted applications for staffing that are intended to improve safety in the classroom. More than 400 requests were submitted for a piece of the new funding and 223 of those requests were approved.
All 111 applications for new SROs were approved, which was a priority set by the Arizona Department of Education. The number of campuses with SROs funded by the grant program has increased from 190 to 301.
The $50 million will also fund 110 applications for counselors and social workers. Some districts receiving funding for new staffing include Coolidge, Florence, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Glendale, and Paradise Valley.
The grant funding operates in three-year cycles.
A full list of Arizona schools that have been awarded safety grants is below:
More information about the Arizona School Safety Program can be found here.
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