CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Vice President Kamala Harris and United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona celebrated more funding for school violence-prevention in Charlotte Thursday, but the reality is, most students in high-risk districts across the Carolinas have not felt the impact of a similar federal program focused on school safety and mental health.
A WCNC Charlotte investigation exposed that systemic failure Wednesday, discovering only 12 districts in the Carolinas have received Stronger Connections grants more than a year-and-a-half after Congress approved the money as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
"It's my expectation that these dollars get into the classrooms as soon as possible, and, at the Department of Education, at the federal level, we're working with states to push that," Cardona told WCNC Charlotte Thursday. "It's my expectation that these dollars are used for what they're intended to be used for, which is creating safe school environments. It makes no sense to me for these dollars to be offered by the federal government, to be sitting in coffers, while there are schools that are not as safe as they can be. We need to do better."
In response to the deadly massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Congress dedicated $1 billion in hopes of preventing future school violence and improving student mental health. So far in the Carolinas, only 12 school districts, all in South Carolina, have received Stronger Connections grants. Currently, about 90% of the money the United States Department of Education awarded to North Carolina and South Carolina in 2022 remains unspent; $40 million in all.
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"My understanding is there are sometimes state legislative hurdles that have to be crossed," Cardona said.
WCNC Charlotte's investigation found, bureaucracy and communication problems between agencies in North Carolina have delayed the awarding of any of these grants. Even so, only about half of eligible districts applied. In South Carolina, even fewer eligible districts applied, but at least there, the dozen districts that received grants are using the money right now to help vulnerable kids. York School District 1, for example, is hiring two mental health therapists, so every school in the district has one on staff.
During a visit to Charlotte Thursday, Vice President Harris announced North Carolina will receive $12 million from the federal government to hire 332 mental health counselors in schools statewide as part of the White House's efforts to support children. Harris was joined by Cardona at Eastway Middle School. Harris said the federal government will invest $285 million nationally for counselors.
"What would you say needs to be done to make sure that this new plot of money, this $285 million gets to where it needs to be going?" WCNC Charlotte Anchor Ben Thompson asked in an exclusive interview with the vice president.
"Well, that's part of why I'm here, to make sure that the money gets to where it needs to be going," Harris responded. "We created the first ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to make sure that we have focus that is intentional on getting resources to school districts, to communities like Charlotte, who need the support to address the issue of gun violence, both in terms of prevention, but also helping folks heal if it happens and after it happens."
Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila created the Greenlights Grant Initiative in the wake of the deadly school shooting in their hometown of Uvalde. The goal of the organization is to raise awareness of school safety grants and help districts navigate the complicated and time-consuming application process. The organization will also connect school districts with grant writers.
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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