5 Burlington County School Districts Approved For Security Funds

The Burlington County Freeholder Board approved $5.4 million in grants to enhance security at five high schools in the county this week, officials announced.

The funding was approved for the Florence, Maple Shade, Rancocas Valley Regional, Riverside, and Willingboro school districts, bringing to six the total number of districts that have been approved for funding since the county launched its program four months ago.

“I am pleased that nearly one-third of our public high schools in Burlington County have now been approved for grant funding to enhance the safety and security of their buildings,” Burlington County Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs said. “With each vote and grant that’s awarded, we are continuing to deliver on the commitment I made earlier this year when the program was announced. Once again, I encourage every other school district to submit their applications expeditiously so we can provide security measures to better protect all of our students, teachers, and staff members, and help deliver local property tax relief for our residents.”

In June, county officials introduced a$20 million grant program during a press conference at the Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly. The voluntary program requires each participating school district to make grant applications to the county and agree to a security evaluation by a highly-qualified architectural firm.

Before the end of the summer, all twenty-one public high schools agreed to participate in the program and had their evaluations completed for possible safety and security upgrades. The architectural firm’s written reports and county grant application paperwork were received by every school at the same time in September. Schools may apply for some or all of the security recommendations.

The Pemberton Township Public School District was the first district to submit a proposal for grant funding, and subsequently was approved for the county’s initial grant two weeks ago.

“Each morning parents trust that their child is arriving at a safe environment where he or she can learn and grow,” Rancocas Valley Regional High School Superintendent Dr. Chris Heilig said. “I am thrilled to have a partner in Freeholder Director Gibbs, and would like to sincerely commend her for stepping up and offering to help in a big way. The grant is especially meaningful for us as the county program has now come full circle since the announcement at our high school this spring.”

The county is accepting applications from school districts on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no deadline to apply.

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