EDUCATION/INFRASTRUCTURE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two days before the school shooting in Florida that left 17 dead, the Trump administration proposed cutting millions in federal education programs meant to help prevent crime in schools and assist them in recovery from tragedies.
Funds targeted for reduction or elimination in the Trump administration’s fiscal 2019 request have helped pay for counselors in schools and violence prevention programs. Such funds were used for mental health aid for students and teachers in the Newtown, Conn., school district following the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012.
When asked about the proposed cuts, Liz Hill, an Education Department spokeswoman, said the department is ‘committed to providing resources, direct support and technical assistance to schools who have suffered unthinkable tragedy.’
The budget request calls for a $25 million reduction in funds designated for national school safety activities, compared with 2017. President Donald Trump’s budget would eliminate altogether a $400 million grant program that districts can use, for example, to prevent bullying or provide mental health assistance.
Trump’s budget would also zero out the School Emergency Response to Violence program, known as Project SERV — funded at $1 million in 2017 — that in years past provided millions in funds used by the district in Newtown. However, Hill said that the grant program’s funds carry over from year to year and the department projects that a current $5.2 million balance will be sufficient to meet needs through the next fiscal year…
The budget would also reduce funds for so-called school climate transformation grants, but use $43 million of the grant money left to place a priority on opioid addiction prevention work in schools, although non-drug addiction programs could also receive funding.”
-Kimberly Hefling, “School safety money would be slashed in Trump budget,” Politico, Feb. 15, 2018 03:00pm