Change in grant process left schools scrambling for safety funding

(WTAJ) — It’s a scene that’s been increasingly present on our TV screens over the past 20 years — law enforcement vehicles surrounding a school as terrified parents are corralled behind police tape, fearing the worst.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , gun violence is a public health crisis in the United States — a crisis that has turned schools into warzones.

But for parents in some schools, the difference between watching the TV and being on it could come down to a state-level funding decision.

“We had talked about getting metal detectors, so when students enter the building, we could do random checks with that. It makes the community feel safe, it makes parents feel safe. We also wanted to use those at our sporting events as well when we have the public in but the cost is just prohibitive. So that is definitely something we would only get through a grant, ” Dr. Laura Fisanick, superintendent of Northern Cambria School District, said.

In the past decade, over 200 students and staff across the country were killed in school shootings and nearly 400 people were injured. Of those deaths, 40 occurred in Pennsylvania.

In response to a rise in gun violence, state lawmakers have implemented a series of mandates requiring heightened security measures on school campuses. However, some administrators said that while new rules were quickly handed down, the funding to implement them has yet to be seen in some districts.

“We had applied, and we were not one of the recipients of the grant. What we will need to do is find other funding streams or other potential grant opportunities that we may have to find money to support our school safety efforts,” Francine Endler, Executive Director of Central Intermediate Union 10, said.

Last year, for the first time, Pa. schools had to compete for state grants to fund these safety initiatives resulting in many local school districts missing out on critical money. The state funding is typically decided by factors like school enrollment, but the change in Act 33 forced districts to compete for dollars. That legislative change led to widespread disparity, leaving many districts, and even some counties like Elk and Huntingdon, empty handed.

Of the $50 million allocated last year for safety, $36.3 million was distributed through these competitive grants.

Superintendents from local schools spoke to the impact this change has had on their districts.

Richland School District in Cambria County was the only district out of the 14 in the county to receive funding. Through the competitive grant, the district secured over $600,000. According to census data, working adults in the Richland School District have an average per capita income of nearly $37,000 which is 20% higher than the average income of the rest of the county.

Arnold Nadonley, Richland’s superintendent, said he used a professional grant writer to secure various sources of funding and that the grant writer more than pays for himself although funds have to be available to make that hire.

While his district benefited from this change, allowing them to purchase more secure door locks, among other items, Nadonley does not believe making schools compete for funding for safety measures is equitable.

“The fact that it’s competitive — we shouldn’t have been in a competitive grant world for school safety. We shouldn’t have to be in a competitive grant world for mandates that are coming down that are unfunded,” Nadonley said. We’re lucky in this district and region that our state and local representatives support the districts. But I think there is a flaw when all these safety issues are out there and we’re competing for dollars.”

About 34 miles away from Richlands is Northern Cambria School District who recently began expanding their combined elementary and middle school building to include high school students starting in 2025. Along with metal detectors, Fisanick said the funds were needed for other smaller initiatives around the campus, especially with the current building project.

Northern Cambria has seen a decrease in student population over the last several years like every other district in Cambria County — except for Richland.

Dr. Betsy Baker, the superintendent of Spring Cove School District in Blair County, said she wrote the grant application with the help of her colleagues. While the district received over $350,000 in funding, that is still proportionately less funding than what similar-sized Richland received.

“So we’ve applied for all of them and hope for the best and we’ve been pretty successful. So we’re happy about that. This leaves most of our safety initiatives that we’ve done over the last eight years have been almost fully funded through different competitive or entitlement safety grants,” Baker said.

This year, the Spring Cove School Board approved a 33% tax rate increase to account for the cost of a growing population of students in the district receiving their education through cyber charter schools, with many parents citing safety concerns as a reason for making the switch.

In the recently passed budget, lawmakers have reversed their decision to make school safety grants competitive. Instead, distribution of funds will depend on factors such as enrollment and need. The change comes after complaints from administrators last year.

But even with the new process, lawmakers themselves acknowledge the unconstitutional funding model that perpetuates large disparities between communities that already have and can support a high tax base and those that don’t.

“Let’s be clear, right now we’re putting so much of the burden on local property taxpayers and not enough on state funding for education. We rank near the bottom in the entire nation in terms of that,” said Representative Paul Takac.

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While the state budget and many district budgets have already passed for the upcoming school year, the discussion about school funding can’t wait until the next budget year.

Rep. Takac also said the best way to advocate for the fair funding of education is contact your legislators directly.

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