Owen Oppenheimer
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Texas High School Student
March 17, 2025
Funding Crisis: Governor Abbott says “We must spend $500M more to better secure our schools”
March 20, 2025
Since the passage of HB 3 in 2023, which added a host of new security requirements for schools, local education budgets have been stretched thin. To comply with these mandates, some districts have resorted to raising taxes or passing bonds—forcing communities to choose between squeezing more money from inflation-weary parents, taking on excessive debt, or leaving campuses vulnerable.
In February 2025, Governor Greg Abbott made it a priority to increase the safety allotment by half a billion dollars. If successful, this initiative would ease the financial burden on school districts and communities without raising taxes.
Thanks to a surplus in the state's general fund, these funds could support a wide range of security upgrades—from making School Resource Officer (SRO) positions more attractive to implementing cutting-edge safety solutions.
Additionally, bills like HB 462 build on this effort by allowing these funds to be used in a way that offers adaptable solutions for districts of all sizes, especially for rural schools that struggle to recruit the minimum number of SROs.
At Campus Guardian Angel, we strongly support these initiatives as vital steps toward improving student safety and protecting future generations.
