Lawmaker calls for dedicated support for school resource officers

State Rep. Matt Hall stood up for Michigan students and called out Democrats’ decision to remove dedicated funding for school safety personnel from the budget.

Instead of investing in students or school safety, Democrats wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on pork projects and unsustainable spending in their $24.3 billion education budget, eliminating dedicated support for school resource officers (SROs) in the process.

“While Republicans called for our state to invest resources to boost classroom learning, Democrats squeezed $2 billion for pork and new programs into the school budget — wasting money that could have provided nearly $1,400 more for each Michigan student,” Hall said. “They also eliminated dedicated funding for the school resource officers who keep our schools safe.”

Hall previously supported the bipartisan annual budget passed last year, which provided $25 million in grants to help local schools hire school resource officers, who build relationships with students as they protect Michigan schools. School districts in Kalamazoo and Allegan counties, which Hall represents, have taken advantage of SRO funding, but in their new budget, the Democrat House majority eliminated this dedicated support for safety officers.