Crookston, MINN—Rep. Deb Kiel, R-Crookston, issued the following statement regarding recent news that Fertile-Beltrami Elementary School in Fertile is receiving $439,400 and J.A. Hughes Elementary in Red Lake Falls is receiving $40,000 in school safety grant funding. Last session, the Legislature approved and Governor Dayton signed into law $25 million in capital investment funds that schools could apply for to make physical safety improvements. The Minnesota Department of Education also formally announced the grant allocations in a news release.
“Student safety was a top priority at the Capitol this year, and I was proud to support a comprehensive school safety package that focused on keeping kids safe and addressing student mental health. Most importantly, with all of our legislation, we put the needs of Minnesota kids first, giving flexibility to our local districts to make decisions that work best for their students, schools and community,” said Rep. Kiel. “I am pleased that Fertile-Beltrami Elementary and J.A. Hughes Elementary were awarded school safety grant funding, and I will continue to champion measures that support our Northwest Minnesota students and schools.”
The Legislature approved an additional $25 million in school safety grants as part of the supplemental budget bill, but those funds were vetoed by Governor Dayton.