Auglaize County Schools Receive $1 Million in State Funding

COLUMBUS – State Representative Angie King (R- Celina) announces Auglaize County schools have received more than $1 million in Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant Program funding recently. 

 “Ensuring that our children have a safe environment to learn in is a goal shared by all Ohio parents,” said King. “This grant funding will give schools the resources they need to achieve their goal of education.”

Four schools in the county where awarded funding: Auglaize County Education Academy, Auglaize County SEC, Wapakoneta City Schools and Waynesfield-Goshen Local Schools. 

Funding for this latest round of grants, totaling $112 million to more than 900 schools, was passed by the Ohio General Assembly in December of 2022 as part of House Bill 45 of the 134th General Assembly. The Ohio K-12 School Safety Grant Program was initially created in the previous state operating budget with additional funding authorized to provide a total of $173 million in funding for schools to make physical security expenses. 

These include new security cameras, public address systems, automatic door locks, visitor badging systems and exterior lighting improvements. Schools could receive a maximum of $100,000 per building. 

Funding for this program came from a mix of ARPA dollars and State General Revenue funds. The remaining $44 million will be released in the fifth round of funding.