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IEMA to offer school security grants
By Michael Chamness
IASA Communications Director
The state’s emergency management chief says
that a new school safety grant program could have a
big impact throughout the state despite a relatively
small amount of funding.
“We’re looking for low-cost, high-impact security
improvements for schools,” said Jonathon Monken,
director of the Illinois Emergency Management
Agency (IEMA), the state agency that will oversee
the $25 million competitive school safety grant
program. “We want to take a handful of proven,
successful physical improvements and help as many
schools as we can.”
While the details of the program have yet to be
finalized, a notice of proposed rules was published in
the
and
the Joint Committee for Administrative Rules (JCAR)
has begun a 45-day public comment period that will
run through mid-October. The basic details include:
The projects eligible for the program include
specific building or district-wide physical
security enhancement equipment, inspection
and screening systems, information technology
and/or interoperable
communications
equipment for buildings
where students are
present.
$15 million will be
available for K-12 schools
outside of Cook County,
with $5 million for Cook
County schools and $5
million for higher education.
IEMA expects to begin taking applications in
January of 2014.
Among other items, applications will include a
narrative describing how the project will reduce
vulnerability of the student population, the
budget for the project and the timeline to
complete the project. Projects must be
completed within 12 months of being awarded
the grant.
Monken said items such as door locking systems,
protective film for windows and cameras are the sort
of items that may be included in the program.
“We are looking for proposals that are reasonably
priced and provide significant impact. Those are the
things that will take these dollars much further,” he
said. “We are not going to be able to fund major
overhauls or big construction projects.”
Monken said grant caps are being contemplated.
He said he anticipates the grant guidance will include
a menu of items listed by graduated tiers of safety
measures, starting with basic items such as door
locks being and progressing to more sophisticated
equipment.
“One idea is to offer those tiers of security
measures and equipment that public safety experts
recommend,” Monken
said. “We’re not saying
that you cannot choose
something off the menu,
but if you do the bar to
clear for approval would
be higher.”
While the funding is
admittedly relatively low
for such a large student
population spread across one of the largest states in
the country, Monken believes the investment could
pay big safety dividends.
“When you look at school safety holistically, you
have prevention, preparedness and protection, and
that protection piece is the most cost-intensive,” said
Monken, a West Point graduate who served as
interim director of Illinois State Police before being
named IEMA director in 2011. “Costs should not be a
limiting factor when it comes to making schools safe,
and if we use these funds efficiently we can improve
school safety because there are a lot of low-cost,
high-impact things you can do to make schools more
secure.”
“
We’re looking for low-cost,
high-impact security
improvements for schools.”
- Jonathon Monken, director of IEMA
