Florida approves $15 million for security at Miami Catholic schools
For the first time, Catholic schools in South Florida are getting some extra help from the state to pay for security measures.
The recently approved state budget includes $15 million for security funding for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Miami, which includes 68 schools in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
The nonrecurring grant funds will be used to pay for security improvement projects at Miami-Dade Catholic schools, according to Jim Rigg, superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Miami. The plan is to invest in building and equipment upgrades like fences, bulletproof glass and video recording systems as well as fund more safety officers and their training, according to budget documents. Covering the costs of hiring additional law enforcement will likely be high on the priority list for the new funding, said Rigg.
The state’s $114.5 billion budget, which was approved by lawmakers last week during a special session, now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis who has line-item veto authority.
Rigg said he is “overjoyed” that the Legislature approved the funding and hopes that the security grants are just the beginning of prolonged state support for Catholic school students.
“We have a lot of parents and others who were very passionate about this, and so we were very happy to see the funding get approved. We’re hoping this is the beginning of much more to come,” Rigg said.
More than 94,000 students are enrolled in Catholic schools across the state of Florida, with more than 37,000 students in South Florida, according to data from the Archdiocese of Miami.
The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops lobbied for the funds during Legislative Session along with a broader statewide reimbursement program for Catholic school security expenses, but the latter was not included in the final budget agreement.
Rigg said the concerns about a rise in targeted Catholic violence is part of the reason for the increase in security costs for private schools.
“Unfortunately, we live in a time where school violence is a reality, not just in Catholic schools, but in all types of schools around the country,” Rigg said.
Catholic leaders began advocating for the security grants after last year’s mass shooting at a Catholic Church in Minneapolis, which killed two children and injured 28 others.
Catholic leaders also argue that the state already spends money on security measures for Jewish schools, and that Catholic schools should also be included.
Florida has spent tens of millions of dollars protecting Jewish days schools in past years, following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and a subsequent rise in antisemitic incidents across the country. This year, lawmakers agreed to allocate $15 million for security for Jewish schools, with half as a recurring item and half approved just for next fiscal year, according to reporting from Florida Politics.
“I think [Jewish schools] have very real and very legitimate reasons to need that funding, but the life of any child is invaluable,” Rigg said. “It is beyond price, whether that child attends a public school, a charter school, a non-religious private school, or a Catholic school.”
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
