Orange County school safety funding moves forward

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GOSHEN – Three years of funding totaling $1.2 million for public school safety and security in Orange County was approved Wednesday by the Ways and Means Committee of the county legislature.

The full legislature will vote on the funding next week.

During committee debate, some lawmakers raised the issue of similar funding for parochial and private schools.              

Committee Chairman Patrick Berardinelli said that is not possible.

“The way the county charter is set up, you just can’t include them even though the parents are taxpayers like everyone else paying into the school districts,” Berardinelli said.

Legislators are going to see if they can raise private corporate funding for safety programs for those schools.

The committee also approved the makeup of a committee of law enforcement, educators and mental health professionals to review the school district proposals before they are submitted to the legislature for final approval.