The St. Joseph School District received good news on April 28. A $600,000 grant, part of the state of Missouri’s new Safety Grant Program, has been awarded to the district. The grant is part of Governor Parson’s Fiscal Year 2023 early supplemental budget request.
The St. Joseph School District applied to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education through a competitive grant application process in early April. According to the grant, funds must be expended by April 2024. The criteria used for selection included the average age of school buildings serving students, assessed value per average daily attendance for 2021-22 and responses to a school safety needs assessment survey.
“We are excited to be one of a select number of districts in the state that received the grant,” said Shannon Nolte, Director of Non-Academic Services. “This will provide us with another layer of security that will help keep staff and students safe in the current world in which we live.”
The SJSD has continually reviewed and updated its security measures over the past several years. In 2019, local voters approved a levy that allowed the district to add secure entrances at all elementary, middle, and most recently high schools. Upgrades have also included high resolution video surveillance systems, phone and visitor management systems, AEDs, bleeding control kits and staff training.