Executive Council approves nearly $10M for school safety upgrades

Nov. 23—The N.H. Executive Council approved an expenditure of $9.87 million in federal funds Tuesday to improve security in schools across the state, including the Monadnock Region

This follows $3.9 million previously allocated this year and $43.9 million total since 2017, according to a news release from Gov. Chris Sununu's office. The money is used for things like strengthening windows, doors and locks as well as improved security cameras.

"New Hampshire is not immune to the tragedies we have seen unfold across the country," Sununu said in the release. He added that the additional funding is "a clear sign that New Hampshire remains as committed as ever to providing as many resources as possible to ensure schools are equipped with the resources and training to be prepared."

Funding for 335 projects throughout 249 schools in New Hampshire — 231 public and 18 private institutions — has been authorized in the latest round of funding through the Security Action for Education program. In the Monadnock Region, 10 school districts and private schools are slated to receive a cumulative $691,656.

Awards were capped at $100,000 per school, according to a news release from the N.H. Department of Education. Schools submitted their application for this funding through the N.H. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Resource Center, which then used a scoring rubric while reviewing the documents to assess the buildings' potential risks.

"The results of [the] scoring rubric indicated the lower the score, the higher the risk," Sununu wrote in a memo to the Executive Council. "The highest potential score was a 7.0, and the average score was 5.8."

At Tuesday's Executive Council meeting in Concord, Councilor Cinde Warmington, whose district takes in most of the Monadnock Region, reminded N.H. Public Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn that he said in the panel's June 1 meeting that no issue is more important to public safety than children's security in schools.

The following area schools are set to receive funding:

*Fall Mountain Regional School District — which covers Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Langdon and Walpole: $227,300 spread across 10 schools in the district

*The Dublin School, a private day and boarding school: $100,000

*Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District: $92,347 between the elementary schools in each of those towns

*Hinsdale School District: $83,417.48 for the elementary school and middle/high school

*Marlborough School District: $79,882 for Marlborough Elementary School

*Dublin Christian Academy, a private school: $75,000

*Making Community Connections, a public charter high school in Keene: $19,452

*Monadnock Regional School District: $7,258.01 for Emerson Elementary School in Fitzwilliam

*Stoddard School District: $6,000 for James Faulkner Elementary School

*Surry Village Charter School: $1,000

Rick Green can be reached at rgreen@keenesentinel.com or 603-355-8567.