Unanimous committee support for Millett bill to prioritize funding for security upgrades in schools

A bill by Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth, to prioritize funding for essential upgrades to school security systems through Maine’s School Revolving Renovation Fund received unanimous, bipartisan support in the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

LD 1858 “An Act To Include Security Installations and Upgrades in Maine’s School Revolving Renovation Fund” clarifies that “safety,” which is already a “priority one” repair, explicitly includes “installations or improvements necessary to increase school facility security.”

“Just yesterday there was another school shooting in Maryland, barely a month after the horrific events in Parkland. On the heels of these incidents and repeated threats resulting in the closure of Maine schools, it is imperative that as lawmakers, we take action to keep our students safe,” said Sen. Millett. “This bill is just one part of an overall solution, but with it, our laws will be clear that security upgrades are indeed among the safety improvements that receive top priority in the School Revolving Renovation Fund.”

The Maine School Boards Association, Maine School Superintendents Association and the Maine Education Association also spoke in favor of the bill at a public hearing on Monday.

“Schools in Maine are old and many kids still attend schools that were built nearly 100 years ago,” said John Kosinski of the Maine Education Association. “They were not built with guns and tragedy in mind. The MEA supports LD 1858 to help schools best prepare for something we hope never happens.”

No one spoke in opposition to LD 1858 at the hearing.

LD 1858 now heads to the Senate for initial votes.