U.S. Sen. Rounds introduces bill to pay for school safety with redirected renewable energy funds

In an effort to improve school safety at the state and local levels, United States Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) last week introduced the Security to Avoid Violence in Educational Settings (SAVES) Act, which would create a new federal grant program.

The Department of Justice would be in charge of a new grant program to improve school security, utilizing a redirected $500 million in federal funding. Those funds would be distributed to states over five years, for use by local K-12 schools and school systems. Those schools would be allowed to determine the best way to use said money to improve their safety, without direction from federal agencies. This would mark a major shift from existing security grants, which require federal oversight for use.

“The first responsibility of any school is to provide for the safety of all students,” Rounds said. “When it comes to our kids, it should not be a one-size-fits-all approach. South Dakota has schools of many sizes and needs. Decisions about education are best made at the state and local levels. This bill would allow states and local schools to determine how to improve school safety in a manner that best fits their needs.”

In all, $100 million would be allocated each year. As the funds would be the result of a reallocation, no additional costs would be accrued by public taxpayers.

However, this would come at a cost to the Biden administration’s green energy push — in particular, a great deal of funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That law, passed last year, allocated millions for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements at public school facilities. The SAVES Act would seize those funds and dispatch them instead to security efforts, such as the installation of metal detectors and school security officers.