GOP leaders shift $105M to school security, mental health in reaction to Uvalde shooting

AUSTIN — Under pressure to act in the wake of the Uvalde school massacre, Gov. Greg Abbott and GOP legislative leaders on Tuesday announced a $105.5 million budget transfer from state school funds toward school security and mental health initiatives.

The funding comes a little more than a month after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in the worst school shooting in Texas history.

In the aftermath, state leaders have convened committees and initiated investigations into the shooting. The focus at the Capitol has been on hardening schools, mental health outreach and a seemingly botched police response.

The total includes $5 million for the mental health authority that oversees Uvalde and the surrounding area. The remaining $100.5 million will be allocated as follows:

• $50 million for bulletproof shields
• $17.1 million to buy silent panic alert technology for schools
• $7 million for Texas State University’s active-shooter training program, Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT)
• $7 million for Texas State’s Texas School Safety Center to conduct on-site safety audits at schools
• $5.8 million for the state’s mental health telemedicine program, Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine
• $5 million for the Department of Public Safety to expand regional multi-agency police intelligence centers, known as fusion centers
• $4.7 million to the Health and Human Services Commission for broad-based therapy and community treatment programs for at-risk youth
• $3 million to cover travel expenses for Texas police officers who go through the training
• $950,000 for Health and Human Services-coordinated specialty care teams that provide rapid help to youth experiencing a first episode of psychosis

“The state of Texas is acting swiftly to ensure our schools are secure and that children, teachers, and families across Texas have the support and resources they need to be safe as we work to prevent future tragedies like the heinous crime committed in Uvalde,” Abbott said in a news release.

Where is Abbott getting the money?

The $105.5 million comes from the Texas Education Agency’s Foundation School Program, the state’s pool of money for school districts and charter schools. The program has a surplus because of skyrocketing property values across Texas that have led to sharp increases in property tax bills.

Abbott was able to shift the Legislature-approved funds under a process known as “budget execution authority,” which circumvents public input and a public meeting by circulating letters among the 10 members of the Legislative Budget Board.

Abbott has invoked the process two other times this year, in February and April, to extend funding for Operation Lone Star, a costly border enforcement initiative. The governor also used it for a much smaller budget shift in November to fund ongoing audits of the 2020 election and to fund the Legislature after he vetoed funding in a political spat last year.

“I applaud the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, House Speaker and budget leaders for taking this important step to protect students and enhance access to mental health services,” said Republican state Sen. Jane Nelson of Flower Mound, a member of the budget board. “This funding will allow us to expand our effort to identify students at risk of becoming a danger and direct them into mental health treatment.”

A TEA spokesman said the agency estimated in May that it has over $1.1 billion in surplus in the Foundation School Program.

What programs are getting the money?

The largest expense — $50 million for bulletproof shields — is a political win for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who publicly called for funding the shields in the week after the May 24 Uvalde shooting.

House Speaker Dade Phelan suggested the Legislature take a more holistic approach before approving any emergency funding. He later came around to the idea, and Tuesday’s announcement indicated clear cooperation between the leaders of the Legislature’s upper and lower chambers.

“A few weeks ago, I said I wanted to ensure we provided bullet-resistant shields to our schools as soon as we could,” Patrick said. “Schools must be equipped with all the tools they need to protect our students.”

The programs granted funding through the budget transfer reflect how state lawmakers, especially Republicans, have focused their response on specific aspects of the Uvalde shooting. For instance, $5 million for fusion centers stems from a belief that more thorough social media monitoring might have led authorities to the 18-year-old shooter before he carried out the massacre.

The shooter, who reportedly made disturbing comments and is believed to have committed cruelty to animals, might have been subject to early intervention from a Health and Human Services’ Coordinated Specialty Care team, which is getting $950,000 through the order. The teams are designed to provide therapy within the first year of the onset of psychosis.

And a $4.7 million investment in Health and Human Services’ so-called multisystemic therapy initiative gives cash to a program that potentially could have treated the shooter, who not only showed early signs of distress but also had a troubled family life. It’s designed to treat children with a history of violent offenses and serious mental health issues who also face intensive family needs.

The infusion of $5.8 million to the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program, known as TCHATT, expands remote therapy to rural and underserved schools. It was created in the aftermath of the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting that left eight students and two teachers dead.

Last week, leaders of the organization overseeing TCHATT testified in a Senate hearing that services have been expanded to about 40% of the state.

The Uvalde community has a dearth of mental health services, especially for children, and the Uvalde school district had yet to gain access to the TCHATT program.

The expansion of Texas State University’s active-shooter training program, ALERRT, comes as lawmakers have called on instructors and experts at the San Marcos training center to give perspective on how police should have handled the shooting.

Uvalde ISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo kept authorities from confronting the shooter for more than 70 minutes. One ALERRT instructor last week said Arredondo’s actions cost lives.

Victims’ family members have demanded that the school district fire Arredondo and that he resign from the Uvalde City Council. The district’s superintendent placed Arredondo on administrative leave last week.

Staff writer Corbett Smith contributed to this report from Dallas.