Governor Chris Sununu will boost New Hampshire’s campaign to improve security in public schools by another $10 million, bringing total school security spending to nearly $30 million over the past year, The New Hampshire Union Leader reports.
The additional funding would mean that grants would be available for as many as 90 percent of school buildings in the state. Republican leaders in the state Senate tacked the $10 million additional spending onto a measure to provide a first-time death benefit of $100,000 for public school educators killed on the job.
Last January, a House-Senate budget committee approved 170 proposals, vetted by a School Infrastructure Safety Commission, to spend the first $19 million from a school safety project fund. All approved projects fall into three categories: imminent dangers and health risks, security enhancements, and fiber-optic internet access. Of the first grants approved, more than 80 percent were for critical security improvements like reinforced windows and doors, exterior door-locking systems and early detection systems.
Two examples from the Union Leader include Manchester, which spent much of its early 2018 grants on upgrading door locks and CCTV installations, and Nashua, which made improvements to school entrances and installed security cameras.