OSU Football Coach Mike Gundy Offers To Fund School Safety
At the Stillwater Public Schools meeting Wednesday night, OSU Cowboy football coach Mike Gundy stepped in to speak up on school safety. It's something we already know. In the last couple of years, the education budget has been coming up short. In the matter of bolstering child and school safety, it's just not in every schools budget to provide security. Knowing that, and with two children of his own in Stillwater Public Schools, Coach Gundy offered the school board an option for filling that budget... He offered to pay for it out of his own pocket.
Mike Gunday said:
"I let one (kid) off here everyday, and school as we know it, is supposed to be a safe haven. We never had this issue, but unfortunately it's increasing,"
"Do we have a plan in place, and when you go to bed at night do you feel good about it? ... If I was in charge, I would have a plan. Maybe not perfect but it would be a plan."
"If you need some of us in the community for support ... I'm willing to do whatever. I'll do whatever it takes to get it started. I know these things take time, I don't think we have time. Hopefully we get this worked out with the teachers and we finish the school year ... and hopefully everybody comes together and it works out, but if not, I would like to see this be put in place, until we can factor in a budget for the next year, I'm willing to flip the bill for the rest of the school year if we can protect our kids."
Talk about leading from the front...
Now his offer will only cover the school system in Stillwater for the remainder of the year, but it's a good start. It's a bold move that also reaffirms Gundy's growing legacy in Stillwater. He's quickly becoming the next Bill Snyder in terms of the positive impact a dedicated citizen can make on the community that they live in.