Presenters outline priorities for FY27 education budget: social workers, completion schools, and security grants

A presenter to the committee described three education priorities for the FY27 budget: a school social worker grant, completion schools, and school security grants, and flagged timing and implementation concerns.

The presenter (identified in the record as "Presenter") said a formula change in the social worker grant is intended to bring ‘‘all districts up to fund 1 social worker in each district.’’ They reported about 116 qualifying districts, of which 45 already employed social workers and seven have hired social workers since the grant began. The presenter said the program's accounting data currently run through October and that updated FTE counts will be available in March. The presenter described program funding in the meeting as ‘‘about just under $4,000,000’’ and ‘‘a little over 1 and a half million dollar’’ (as stated to the committee).

On completion schools — nontraditional public high schools focused on dropout prevention and credit recovery — the presenter said there are currently five completion schools and that the model can raise graduation rates while shifting accountability for enrolled students to local districts. The presenter warned the committee that without FY27 funding a planned opening in a new region could be delayed and might require an amended budget request.

On school security grants, the presenter summarized prior and recent allocations: an amended 2023 appropriation and a 2025 formula grant described in‑session as roughly $115,000,000 each, plus an additional one‑time $50,000,000 for needs. The presenter said common uses include school resource officers, weapons detection equipment, personal panic devices, mapping software, cameras, and access controls. Several districts reported additional staffing or contracting costs to monitor security systems, which the presenter identified as an ongoing concern for mid‑size and larger districts.

Committee members asked for follow‑up data on the social worker counts and on completion‑school cost estimates; the presenter said they would provide updated figures and that the department plans a more comprehensive evaluation of these grants over the grant period. The meeting record shows discussion and questions but no formal motions or votes on these items.

The committee moved on after asking for more information about implementation timing and district cost pressures; the presenter offered to return data to support budget deliberations.