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DeSantis earmarks at least $20 million for HBCUs and Jewish Day School security upgrades [1]

['Christian Casale', 'More From Author', '- December']

Date: 2023-12-06  

With Tallahassee abuzz over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ unveiling of his proposed 2024-2025 budget, and minority party legislators already pouncing on some of the governor’s goals, part of his proposal suggests additional security funding for HBCUs — a priority for Democrats during the special session.

In his proposed budget, marketed as the “Focus on Florida’s Future,” DeSantis earmarked $2.5 million each for four HBCUs to “support facility hardening needs.” Those schools are Florida A&M, a public university, and the trio of private schools Bethune-Cookman University, Edward Waters University and Florida Memorial University.

DeSantis’ budget also earmarks $10 million for funding and “security and equipment upgrades” for Jewish Day schools in Florida.

During the November special session, the Florida legislature passed a bill that earmarked $45 million for physical security funding for schools and other vulnerable locations. $25 million was set for Jewish day schools and $20 million set for the Division of Emergency Management to disperse to locations that “demonstrate an elevated threat level.”

Some legislators during the bill’s passage referenced the late August shooting in Jacksonville – in which three Black people were murdered at a Dollar General store after the shooter had previously tried to enter the campus of Edward Waters University, a historically Black institution.

Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Broward) said in a statement Tuesday that DeSantis’ budget didn’t go far enough to address the security needs of HBCUs.

“While the Governor appropriately proposes measures to address Jewish student safety, I was struck by the conspicuous absence of protections for Historically Black Colleges and Universities as they face a troubling increase of campus threats,” Jones said. “Our goal must be safety across the board – not just for some communities.”

Senator Jones’ office did not respond to a request for comment, and the senator was noted as an excused absence for Wednesday afternoon’s Appropriations Committee on Education meeting.

Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and DeSantis’ Education Policy Coordinator Shelby Cecil outlined DeSantis’ educational budget priorities to the Senate Wednesday afternoon.

The total of $550 million the governor proposed for school safety includes $290 million to be allocated by the Office of Safe Schools, $108 million for “mental health allocation” and $42 million for public school hardening grants, Diaz said.

Republican Sen. Gayle Harrell inquired about an exact budgetary breakdown of the allocation for Safe Schools and mental health and was told by Commissioner Diaz that his staff would prepare that information and share it with her and the rest of the committee.

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[1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/12/06/desantis-earmarks-at-least-20-million-for-hbcus-and-jewish-day-school-security-upgrades/

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