CUSD outlines ADE-funded SRO and social-worker grants, training and capacity limits

District staff told the governing board that Chandler Unified School District receives state School Safety Program funding administered by the Arizona Department of Education to subsidize school resource officers (SROs) and school-based social workers.

Mark Huish, the district’s school safety and security director, said the current three‑year grant cycle began July 2023 and runs through June 30, 2026. “ADE has awarded CUSD, 1,795,000, for the next school year, for the 12 SROs,” Huish said, adding that the three‑year cycle equates to more than $5 million for SRO funding across the cycle. Huish said the money is intended to support salaries and benefits for SROs, juvenile probation officers and social workers where awarded.

Huish described program requirements from ADE: SROs are expected on campus at least 80% of the time; they take part in lockdown and emergency planning, teach law-related education (LRE) courses (about 100 hours at the junior-high level and about 80 hours at the high-school level under current local practice), and serve as mentors, informal counselors, educators and crime-prevention officers as part of school safety assessment teams (SSAPTs).

Huish said district staff successfully applied for three additional social-work positions through a mini-grant and that social workers funded by ADE are a separate funding stream from the SRO grant. He and other presenters noted that even when grant funding is available, a community police agency must supply an officer; some chiefs reported insufficient staffing to add SROs. The presenters said the ADE award covers the officer’s salary and benefits up to the amount requested when the grant was submitted; if officers later receive raises, the district and the police department share the increased cost roughly 50/50.

Officer Du and other Chandler police staff described SRO training and duties. Presenters said SROs receive training on de‑escalation, equity and adolescent development, crisis-intervention techniques (CIT), youth mental health first aid, and other evidence-based practices. The district also maintains school security operations including SSAPT meetings, quarterly reporting and campus vulnerability assessments. Presenters and board members discussed non-equipment measures—locked classroom doors, active adult supervision, consistent codes of conduct, digital hall-pass pilots and communication to families—as important elements of campus safety. Presenters noted that equipment options such as metal detectors and vaping-detection units have costs and operational limits and produce mixed results in other districts.

Board members asked whether ADE or the district decides which grants to apply for; presenters said the district applies for the categories it intends to staff and may apply broadly to be considered for leftover funds. Board members also asked about audit and oversight documentation for SSAPT plans; Huish said the district files required quarterly records and monitors implementation in case of audits.