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Board approves release of FY25 school safety grant funds; prioritizes SRO/SSO positions and counselors
Summary
The board unanimously approved release of FY25 school safety grant funds to LEAs, prioritizing high‑need districts for school resource officers or school safety officers and funding additional counselor/social‑worker positions where possible; Member Meerson recused.
The State Board of Education voted to approve the release of FY25 school safety grant funds to award LEAs statewide, prioritizing high‑need districts that lack school resource officers (SROs) and using a School Safety Officer (SSO) model where full‑time SRO staffing was not available.
Mike Curbach, director of school safety, told the board that the grant cycle received broad interest: 1,227 LEAs or charters representing 333 schools applied, requesting nearly $56 million across SRO/SSO and counselor/social‑worker positions. The department recommended funding 199 SRO/SSO positions and identified funding to support an additional 64 counselor/social‑worker positions; 66 SRO applicants could not be filled and were addressed via the SSO model.
Curbach explained statutory authority (referencing ARS 15‑154), training requirements for funded positions (leadership 100 plus role‑specific training), and that prioritization gave competitive preference to small rural LEAs and applicants with no current SROs.
During discussion Member Meerson announced a recusal because the member's school was listed among applicants. The motion to release funds passed unanimously among remaining members.
What happens next: Pending board direction, successful applicants are expected to be notified immediately and the department will oversee training and compliance for awardees.
