Tempe: State Board Awards $82 Million in School Safety Grants, But Tempe Union High Gets Nothing

The Arizona State Board of Education approved $82 million in school safety grants for the next three-year cycle, awarding millions to two of Tempe's three school districts while leaving Tempe Union High School District empty-handed.

The competitive grant program funds school resource officers, juvenile probation officers, school safety officers, counselors, and social workers across Arizona's traditional public and charter schools. The new cycle begins July 1.

Tempe Union High School District applied for funding to place SROs at six schools. The board denied the request entirely.

"$181 million in requests, I think it speaks for itself. It shows that our schools are asking for these positions," said Mike Kurtenbach, director of school safety at the state Department of Education.

The board received applications totaling $181 million for 1,519 positions statewide. That is more than double the available funding.

Of 721 SRO and safety officer positions requested, only 323 were funded. Of 796 counselor and social worker positions requested, only 334 were funded.

Two Tempe districts win funding

Tempe Elementary School District was awarded just over $890,000 to place social workers and SROs across seven schools. One school's request for SRO funding was not approved.

Funded positions include:

• Social workers at Flora Thew Elementary, Scales Technology Academy, Frank Elementary School, and Getz School
• SROs at Cecil Shamley School, Geneva Epps Mosley Middle School, and Fees College Preparatory Middle School

Kyrene School District received about $1.8 million to place school counselors, social workers, and SROs across 14 schools. Eight other schools' requests for counselors and social workers were not approved.

Funded positions include:

• Counselors and social workers at Niños, Esperanza, Lomas, Milenio, C. I. Waggoner, Paloma, Mariposa, and Kyrene Traditional Academy
• SROs at all six Kyrene middle schools

A program running on fumes

The School Safety Program is funded at a baseline of $80 million, according to Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne. Horne has repeatedly called for an increase since last year.

In the 2024-25 school year, schools had access to $128 million from initial appropriations and carryover funds. That surplus is gone.

Horne lobbied the Legislature to pass House Bill 2376, which would have appropriated an additional $40 million for the current fiscal year. The bill passed the House but died in the Senate.

Nearly 1,000 additional positions remain on a waitlist, scored and ready to be funded if more money becomes available through legislation or carryover dollars, Kurtenbach said.

Board members call the math impossible

Board members acknowledged the painful choices schools face when demand far outpaces funding.

"It's a hard question to ask schools and school districts to be able to choose between a school counselor, an SRO, a social worker, because all of these different positions are so needed in today's world to keep our kids safe," said board member Jason Catanese.

"It should be, 'How can we make sure that we have as many positions as possible to serve children?'" Catanese added.

Board President Katherine Haley compared the decision to choosing among her own children.

"This is really difficult. It's like picking your children — who's your favorite — and we don't want to do that," Haley said.

The denial of Tempe Union High's application leaves six high schools without state-funded SRO positions for the coming three-year cycle, shifting the cost burden to district budgets already strained by rising operational expenses.