Prioritizing School Safety for All Students
by Senator Jason Rarick

When it comes to keeping kids safe both in and out of school, it’s something most of us can agree on: it needs to be a priority, and it’s imperative we give our schools the tools to do this successfully. Due to the tragedy that occurred at Annunciation last year, this has been a timely topic in our education committees. In the face of such a profound tragedy, it’s something we all want to address through meaningful school safety reforms. Unfortunately, it appears everyone has a different “solution.” I want to give folks a bit more insight on some of the ideas being discussed.

First I want to talk about the Governor’s education proposal. Earlier this month, we heard his education bill, and I found it to be disappointing. For starters, he proposed cuts to special education, which is very troubling. Many of our schools are already facing massive budget shortfalls due to mandates passed during the years of the trifecta. Many of those mandates did not come with funding, yet schools were still forced to comply. And even the mandates that were funded essentially ate up the entirety of the “historic” funding Democrats touted in 2023-2024. If the state can’t fund something, we need to give school boards the flexibility to opt out. That would solve many of their budget concerns. Cutting special education funding only puts additional pressure on already struggling districts – it’s not a viable option.

He also proposed removing school safety and transportation funding for nonpublic schools. This is something he originally proposed in 2025, which ultimately failed to move forward. I thought that meant the message was received: cutting funds for families choosing a different education path is not a real solution. Yet here we see that same proposal once again.

In my opinion, both of these approaches fall short. Given the tragedy that occurred at a private school, it feels shockingly out of touch that the Governor is deliberately omitting private schools from school safety funding discussions.

Senate Democrats recently put forward their own proposals. One we heard a few weeks ago, SF-5000, appropriates $40 million of funding to a school safety aid grant program. While nonpublic schools are technically eligible, they must apply for grants rather than receive the funding automatically like public schools would. In my view, that’s unacceptable. Because of the way the bill was written, the funding available to nonpublic schools could be so minimal, they end up receiving next to nothing. All schools should be incorporated together, as we have done so often in the past. Again, this is not an adequate solution.

We also recently discussed a potential education omnibus bill. During that hearing, I brought forward an amendment that would expand funding for school safety so nonpublic schools would not be left out. Back in 2023, money was set aside for the NLX line, which was meant to be a match for federal funds that were expected to flow to the project. Yet three years later, there are still no signs of that project moving forward. My amendment would’ve taken $100 million from what is currently parked in that account and would redirect it to school safety funding so that all schools, public and nonpublic, could be covered. Unfortunately, this amendment was defeated in committee.

The point I keep coming back to is this: no student’s safety should be more important than another’s. Allowing the government to pick “winners” and “losers” when it comes to school safety is wrong. That’s why I take issue with both the Senate Democrats’ and Governor’s proposals, which I believe both do exactly that.

As the end of session approaches, I will continue to provide updates on these education issues. It’s absolutely imperative that we do everything to listen to our schools, ease their financial burdens, and ensure student safety for ALL students.