TEXAS, USA — Gov. Greg Abbott and other Texas leaders, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, announced an additional $105.5 million in funding will go toward school safety and mental health programs through Aug. 31.
A total of $100.5 million will go to state agencies and programs to fund these initiatives, and a maximum of $5 million will go to the Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Center to examine Uvalde mental health services, specifically.
On May 24, a Uvalde elementary school became the site of a mass shooting that left 21 people dead, including 19 children.
A breakdown of the $100.5 million includes $50 million for bullet-resistant shields, $17.1 million for silent panic alert technology in schools, $7 million for rapid response training and $7 million for on-site campus assessments from the Texas School Safety Center.
"The State of Texas is acting swiftly to ensure our schools are secure and that children, teachers, and families across Texas have the support and resources they need to be safe as we work to prevent future tragedies like the heinous crime committed in Uvalde," Abbott said in a statement. "Our communities – urban and rural – are stronger when Texans are safe and healthy, and I thank my partners in the legislature for quickly addressing the need to expand critical mental health and school safety initiatives in the Lone Star State."
Joan Huffman, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Greg Bonnen, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, joined Abbott, Patrick and Phelan in announcing the additional funding.
"Immediately providing over $100 million in additional support for mental health and school safety initiatives will ensure these additional resources are available prior to the 2022 - 2023 school year," Huffman said. "However, this additional financial support is not the end, as the legislature will continue to prioritize these initiatives during the next budget cycle."
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: