(The Center Square) – Funding for additional school resource officers in 195 school districts across Michigan was notably absent from the fiscal year 2024 budget while the Michigan State Police saw another round of funding increases.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, earlier this year, shifted her tone on funding for school resource officers announcing in January that $25 million had been allocated to hire 195 school resource officers over a three-year period, as reported by The Center Square.
In the final $82 billion budget passed Wednesday by the Michigan legislature, which also contains around $1 billion in what some legislators are calling pork spending, funding for school resource officers is notably absent.
“In a nutshell, the line item specifically to funding school resource officers is eliminated,” Jeremiah Ward, press secretary for the Michigan House Republicans, told The Center Square. “Other school safety and mental health funds could possibly be used to pay for school resource officers, but without the dedicated support for SROS, there’s no guarantee that school resource officers will continue to get funding.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s press team did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Meanwhile, Michigan State Police funding increased again during this budget cycle. The department will receive $893 million this fiscal year, up from $843 million during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, according to budget documents.
