Arizona has approved nearly $79 million in school safety grants for schools across the state, but education officials say more than $100 million in requested funding could not be accommodated due to limited resources.
The Arizona State Board of Education approved the grants during a May meeting after reviewing recommendations from the Arizona Department of Education’s School Safety Program. The funding will support school resource officers, counselors and other safety-related positions through the 2028-29 school year.
According to state officials, schools submitted more than $181 million in funding requests, while only $78.7 million was available for distribution. As a result, the department applied a strict evaluation process to determine which positions would receive funding.
The grants are funded through an $82 million legislative appropriation, with a portion reserved for administrative costs. State requirements mandate that $50 million be dedicated to school resource officer programs, leaving approximately $28 million available for school counselors and related support staff.
Under the approved plan, funding will support 323 school resource officer positions and 334 counselor and social worker positions statewide. While the number of funded officer positions declined compared with previous allocations, the number of counselor and social worker positions increased significantly.
The school safety funding cycle is renewed every three years, and districts were required to submit applications by April along with implementation plans detailing how the positions would be used.
Among the largest recipients is the Mesa Public Schools, which was awarded more than $4.1 million to fund 19 school resource officers and 22 school counselors. The funding comes as an existing agreement with the Chandler Police Department to provide officers to Mesa and other East Valley districts nears its expiration.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Union High School District received funding for 15 school resource officer positions.
Education leaders say the overwhelming demand for the grants underscores the growing emphasis schools are placing on campus safety, student mental health services and security resources, even as available state funding falls short of meeting all requests.
