Nearly two years after Texas House Bill 3 (HB 3) went into effect, lawmakers are considering significant funding increases to help schools comply with its requirements. The legislation mandates that every K-12 campus in Texas have an armed officer—either employed by the school or contracted with a police department—on-site.
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However, critics have called HB 3 an “unfunded mandate,” highlighting the inadequate financial support provided to implement its requirements. Currently, the bill allocates only $15,000 per campus for security personnel, an amount that many school districts argue falls drastically short of the actual expenses involved. Qualified armed security costs about $85,000 per year, reports KERA.
Less than half of the school districts in Texas have complied with HB 3’s armed security requirement, with about 52% requesting and receiving a good cause exception waiver, reports Houston Public Media.
Experts: Texas Schools Need at Least $100 Per Student to Comply with HB 3
Educational leaders and security experts have consistently voiced their concerns about the feasibility of the mandate, emphasizing that districts are already strained by budget limitations. Many are calling for the state to allocate at least $100 per student to bridge the funding gap, reports NBC DFW.
The financial shortfall has become a central focus in this year’s Texas legislative session. Gov. Greg Abbott urged lawmakers during his recent State of the State address to invest an additional $500 million in school safety measures. Both the House and Senate have released proposed budgets that include $400 million in new funding for school safety over the next two years.
School administrators remain cautious and are concerned the proposed increase won’t be enough.
Texas isn’t the only state that is underfunding legislation designed to bolster school safety. The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) says it needs $500 million so they can comply with the recently-passed HB84, which requires schools to make major safety enhancements.
