WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Three St. Joseph County school districts and two in Cass County are included in a pool that will share nearly $25 million to support the hiring of 195 school resource officers for the next three years.
According to officials, the program will improve safety and security for more than 334,000 students in the state.
Officials say a panel consisting of representatives from education and policing awarded the grants, giving priority to schools districts currently without a resource officer, as well as schools with lower student enrollment and less total per pupil funding.
The funds administered by the Michigan State Police can be used to support salaries, benefits and training for resource officers, which are law enforcement officers responsible for keeping students safe in school.
A 50 percent match is required to be provided by the applicant’s jurisdiction.
The local districts and their allocation are: Colon ($91,300), White Pigeon ($110,000), Pathfinder Education Center ($185,000), Marcellus ($109,000) and Edwardsburg ($179,000).
