Governor Larry Hogan Submits $5 Million Supplemental Budget to Enhance Safety in Maryland Schools

$2.5 Million for Maryland Center for School Safety Operations; $2.5 Million in Grant Funding for School Safety Assessments

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today submitted a supplemental budget that will provide increased funding for the Maryland Center for School Safety, the state’s office tasked with providing a coordinated and comprehensive policy for school safety in Maryland. The governor announced this funding as part of a comprehensive school safety plan he unveiled on February 28.

“Our one-of-a-kind Maryland Center for School Safety allows us to share safety information in near real-time among school security personnel, school administrators, law enforcement, and homeland security staff, while also providing technical assistance and training for our school personnel,” said Governor Hogan. “By providing additional resources and broadening the authority of this innovative center, we can make all Maryland schools safer for our children.”

The governor’s supplemental budget provides $2.5 million in operating funds to the center to hire analysts and social media trackers and allocate personnel and resources in more regions of the state. Center personnel will assist schools in conducting safety assessments and implementing new safety standards required by the governor’s emergency legislation announced earlier this week.

The legislation creates Maryland’s first statewide school safety standards, including required training and certification for all school resource officers and security staff. The legislation will also require all school systems to conduct an annual school safety assessment and develop plans to address behavioral threats and emergency situations. The plans will be subject to approval by the Maryland State Board of Education and overseen by the Maryland Center for School Safety.

The supplemental budget also provides $2.5 million in grant funding that will go directly to schools to conduct the required assessments, with oversight from the center.

“Government at all levels is grappling with what more can be done to keep kids safe,” said Governor Hogan. “In addition to the $125 million for school safety enhancements and $50 million in annual grants announced this week, submitting this supplemental budget is something we are doing right now, today, to make our schools safer for our children.”