A Michigan congressman is introducing legislation to support school resource officers following what he says is a lack of funding from the state.
Rep. Jack Bergman, (R) 1st District, says that Michigan doesn’t provide the support he’d like to see for officers, which he says serve as a powerful deterrent to school shootings and other violence.
“The SRO Funding Protection Act requires states to maintain for SRO programs at or above the amount they spent in previous fiscal year, to remain eligible for the full federal aid for elementary and secondary education,” he said. “Any state that fails to maintain that required level of funding would see its federal education aid reduced.”
States could ease that requirement with a waiver from the Secretary of Education.
The proposal comes after the passage of the state education budget this summer, which cut $300 million from a school resource officer and mental health program.
Michigan Democrats, who control the state government and budget allocation, say that the funding was shifted to others areas of student support.
Schools will receive nearly $600 million in flexible funding, which the state suggests should be spent on mental health support initiatives.