Peoria Unified’s governing board is weighing a major shift in how it keeps students safe, floating a plan that could phase out grant-funded school social workers and redirect that money to hire more school resource officers. The early debate, which opened this week, is already tugging the district between two big priorities: bolstering mental-health support or putting more law enforcement on campus.
As reported by Arizona's Family, a board meeting on April 9 included discussion of whether to eliminate all of the district’s social workers and use those funds for additional school resource officers. According to the station, a final decision could land as the board maps out its strategy for state safety-grant slots for Fiscal Year 2027.
According to Peoria Unified School District, the governing board voted on March 12 to authorize campuses to apply for the Fiscal Year 2027 School Safety Program grant. The district’s update notes that the state program “prioritizes School Resource Officers and School Safety Officers” and that current funding used to support school social workers is set to expire on June 30, 2026.
How a State Grant Is Driving the Choice
The Arizona Department of Education runs the School Safety Program under ARS 15-154. The competitive grant operates in three-year cycles and can subsidize school resource officers, school safety officers, counselors and school social workers, depending on how a district applies. Arizona Department of Education materials spell out application deadlines, service-agreement terms and training requirements that heavily influence whether districts chase officer positions or counselor and social-worker slots.
Political Context and Reactions
The role and licensure of school social workers has already been a political flashpoint in Peoria, with prior board votes and public meetings drawing sharp criticism from some parents and advocacy groups. Reporting from Lookout and other local coverage of earlier board decisions shows this fight has been simmering for more than a year, turning what might have been a dry budget choice into a broader proxy battle over campus culture and student support.
Local Impact and Staffing
Peoria’s filings with the Arizona Department of Education show the district reported 22 social workers and 20 social-work interns in a 2023 continuity plan, with many positions at least partially funded by grants. Arizona Department of Education records indicate those roles are baked into the district’s continuity-of-services strategy, so a shift in grant priorities could mean fewer on-campus mental-health providers available to students.
What’s Next
The School Safety Program funding cycle runs from July 1 to June 30, and the June 30, 2026 expiration on Peoria Unified’s current social-worker grant gives the board a limited window to decide whether to reapply for counselor and social-worker slots or pivot fully to officer funding instead. Whatever the board settles on will shape staffing and student services for the coming school year and beyond.
