The School District of New Berlin will receive $120,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Justice School Safety Grant program, the district learned this week. The amount is the maximum the district could have received through the grant.
The SDNB will use the grant funds to better secure the main entrances at all six of its schools. Work is expected to begin on the buildings’ entrances immediately.
“School safety is of the utmost importance to us, and while we believe we have been proactive in the measures we have taken related to school safety and security, there is always more we can and want to do to keep our students and staff safe,” SDNB Superintendent Joe Garza said. “These grant dollars will go a long way to help us meet more of our safety and security goals and, hopefully, provide additional peace of mind to our community.
“On behalf of the students, staff, families and the Board of Education of the School District of New Berlin, I want to thank Gov. Scott Walker, Attorney General Brad Schimel and the state legislators for placing an emphasis on school safety and providing this opportunity.”
In March 2018, the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Walker passed and signed into law Wisconsin Act 143, which established the DOJ’s Office of School safety and provided $100 million in school safety grants. To date, approximately $55 million has been awarded to schools across the state.
In July, Attorney General Schimel announced plans for a second round of grant funding. The state will use the remaining $45 million available to advance baseline mental health and physical security improvements made in the first round through advanced training for teachers on mental health; the creation of local teams of educators, counselors, and law enforcement to develop school safety intervention teams to assess threats and identify students in need of support; and additional physical
security upgrades.
The SDNB has expressed its official intent to the state to apply for the second round of funding with awards expected to be announced starting in October.
“We are excited and thankful for another opportunity to apply. We believe any additional grant money awarded to us would be well-spent for the benefit of the students, staff and schools of the School District of New Berlin,” Garza added. “Our priority is to keep our learning environments as safe as possible and the money received through these grants will help us do just that.”
Be the first to comment
Sign in with