School security bill only increases student safety spending by 28 cents per student.
Press release received from the office of Senator Roland Gutierrez
Austin, Texas – This afternoon, State Senator Roland Gutierrez voted against HB 3, the school security bill, because it is inadequate at addressing school safety concerns in the wake of the tragic shootings in Santa Fe and Uvalde.
“School districts and their employees have already been asked to do more with less – more students with less counselors and support staff, larger class sizes with fewer teachers, and building more schools with less state money. Now we are going to add an unfunded mandate to have a security officer at every single public school. It is sick and twisted that we have the largest budget surplus in Texas history and we aren’t doing a damn thing to keep our kids safe. We aren’t doing anything to prevent another Uvalde,” Gutierrez stated.
“I filed a bill that would have put a peace officer at every single public school in Texas, that would have been paid in full by the State of Texas. That bill never saw the light of day. Republican leadership doesn’t care about protecting our kids.”
Senator Gutierrez was joined by Senators Menendez, Eckhart, Miles, and Johnson in voting against the bill. Senator Gutierrez has long advocated for teacher pay raises, cost-of-living adjustments for retirees, and full funding of Texas public schools.
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Roland Gutierrez has served as the Texas State Senator for District 19 since 2021, previously serving six terms as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and two terms as a San Antonio City Councilman.
