Committee hears $1M request to add school-safety specialists at Minnesota School Safety Center

Representative Steer introduced House File 4299, which would appropriate $1 million in FY2026 to the Department of Public Safety to hire eight school-safety specialists for the Minnesota School Safety Center.

Allison Fairly (director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division), who oversees the School Safety Center, told the committee the center is non-regulatory, provides free technical assistance and currently has one director and seven full-time staff. She said the center helps schools with emergency operations planning, threat-assessment training, exercises and resource coordination.

A 9th-grade civics teacher testified in support, saying specialists expand equitable access to threat assessment and preparedness resources for small and rural districts. Members asked whether the appropriation is one-time and how staffing would be sustained; the department said it would make more sense as an ongoing funding source because hiring and sustaining staff on one-time dollars is challenging.

The committee laid the bill over for further consideration.