Catholic schools secure $15 million for security in state budget

By Jay Sorgi - The Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI | Catholic school leaders scored a significant victory in Florida’s newly approved state budget, securing $15 million for security improvements at Miami-Dade County Catholic schools after months of advocacy and budget negotiations.

The funding was included in the $114.5 billion state budget approved by lawmakers May 29 during the final day of a prolonged special legislative session. The spending plan, which covers the 2026-27 fiscal year, now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has line-item veto authority.

“We prioritize the safety of our students in a day and age that has seen more anti-Catholic violence and generally more violence against schools,” said Dr. Jim Rigg, Cabinet Secretary of Education and Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Miami.

Budget victory, but not statewide

The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops advocated throughout the legislative session for additional security funding for students attending Catholic schools.

Thanks in part to support from House Speaker Daniel Perez of Miami and a funding request sponsored by Rep. Mike Redondo of Miami, lawmakers approved a $15 million appropriation for Catholic schools in Miami-Dade County.

However, a broader statewide reimbursement program for Catholic school security expenses, sponsored by Sen. Nick DiCeglie of St. Petersburg and Rep. Susan Valdéz of Tampa, was not included in the final budget agreement.

The state's Non-Profit Security Grant Program also did not receive funding.

 

A growing focus on school security

Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun violence research group, reports that through April 29, there had been 45 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in the United States in 2026, resulting in 19 deaths.

 Those incidents add to a decades-long list of school shootings nationwide, including two tragedies that continue to weigh heavily on Catholic school leaders in South Florida.

“Probably the most tragic anti-Catholic violence was the shooting that took place last fall, on Aug. 27, in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at Annunciation Catholic School,” Rigg said.

Two children were killed and 21 other people injured in the shooting, which took place during a school Mass. The tragedy shocked Catholic educators nationwide and intensified conversations about campus security in dioceses across the country.

“Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the tragic 2018 shooting at a public school, is within the boundaries of the Archdiocese and still weighs on the psyche of people in South Florida,” Rigg added.

Seventeen people were killed and 17 others injured in the shooting at the Parkland school.

Catholic leaders say recent attacks against churches, faith-based institutions and religious schools nationwide have heightened concerns about the vulnerability of Catholic campuses and the need for stronger security protections.

 

Why Catholic schools sought state funding

Should the funding survive the governor's review process, Catholic schools in Miami-Dade County would be eligible to benefit from the $15 million allocation. It remains unclear how the funds will ultimately be distributed among schools.

The Archdiocese of Miami serves more than 37,000 students, representing roughly 45 percent of all Catholic school students in Florida, making it one of the nation's largest Catholic school systems.

By comparison, the budget allocates $290 million through Florida’s Safe Schools Allocation, which helps public school districts cover security-related expenses.

Jewish day schools also receive grants designed to help combat violent antisemitism.

“We certainly do not begrudge the funding that they're receiving,” Rigg said. “Antisemitism is real. There are acts of violence against the Jewish population in the United States, including against schools.”

“After the Annunciation shooting, one of the first calls I received was from a network of Jewish day schools in South Florida offering help,” he added. “They wanted to see if we needed advice because they've been dealing with school safety concerns for years due to antisemitic threats and attacks. They've actually been great partners in this effort.”

Florida’s privately run public charter schools, like traditional public schools, are required to have school security officers on campus. State funds help support those efforts.

“We're receiving nothing,” Rigg said.

Rigg said Catholic schools in the Miami area already spend millions of dollars from tuition and donations on security measures, ranging from private security personnel to locked entryways and surveillance systems.

However, he believes law enforcement presence remains the strongest deterrent against school violence. “It's also the most costly, which is why we're spending so much currently out of our school budgets,” he said, citing the estimated $150,000 annual cost of funding an on-site law enforcement officer.

“This is money that schools are pulling from their budgets that could otherwise go toward textbooks, technology and teacher salaries,” Rigg said. “In some cases, schools are collecting special security fees from parents.”

Catholic school leaders warn that without outside assistance, rising security costs could eventually place additional financial pressure on families already making sacrifices to afford Catholic education.

Catholic leaders say the newly approved Miami-Dade funding represents an important first step, even though broader statewide assistance remains a long-term goal.

 

Existing security programs

There are already examples of government programs helping faith-based organizations improve safety measures.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program has provided Catholic schools with funding in past years for capital improvements intended to deter terrorist attacks.

Additionally, according to the Jewish Federations of North America, 22 states — including Florida — had nonprofit security grant programs in 2025. Florida allocated $14.4 million through that program last year.

Catholic groups in other states also have received assistance through those grants, including four parishes and the Archdiocese of Denver Pastoral Center in Colorado during 2025.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Catholic Conference had already been advocating for Catholic schools to receive state security funding before the Annunciation shooting and is again pushing for expanded support this year.

Bipartisan support in Tallahassee

Rigg said he believes the funding approval reflects broad support for protecting students regardless of the type of school they attend.

 “We started advocating for this early in the school year, shortly after the Annunciation shooting,” he said. “I was surprised by the immediate support we received. We had hundreds, even thousands, of parents, educators and others writing lawmakers, making phone calls and signing petitions.”

Rigg said discussions with lawmakers throughout the legislative process suggested bipartisan support.

“Typically, Republicans tend to favor nonpublic schools more strongly, particularly through measures like our voucher program,” he said.

“But I know some Democratic lawmakers well, and I think they understand the importance of school safety and the inequity that exists between the funding public schools receive and what we are not receiving.”

Leaders from the Florida Catholic Conference spent months advocating for the proposal during the budget process.

“I would hope that everybody in the state of Florida would support the need to protect children, no matter what type of school they attend — public, charter or private,” he said.

For Catholic educators, the debate is no longer theoretical. They say protecting classrooms, chapels and students has become one of the defining challenges facing faith-based education in America.

“This is less about schools and more about kids.”