Just before Georgia lawmakers gathered and started kicking up dust under the Gold Dome, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones started pushing a new initiative that would fund more resource officers and beef-up security in public school buildings.
The grant money would include state-funded firearms training for teachers and staff — complete with an extra $10,000 annual stipend, an incentive for them to carry in classrooms.
Jones emphasized that training teachers is up to local school boards, but most may use the money to hire law enforcement instead.
The Lt. Governor tells WABE’s “Morning Edition” that he has Republican support, and the initiative will be packed into a bill he hopes gets a hearing this legislative session.
Lily Oppenheimer contributed to this report.
