TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - In light of the recent uptick in school threats, the Arizona Department of Education has announced more armed officers will be coming to campuses across the state thanks to $15 million in carryover dollars.

“My nightmare is that some maniac is gonna come and kill 20 kids. It’s happened in other states, it could happen here,” said state Superintendent Tom Horne.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos feels it really depends on how this money will be used.

He said if the funds are put towards school resource officers, he believes it’s definitely the right decision. Mainly because SROs are not just armed guards.

“It’s more than just being a security guard,” Nanos said.

He went on to explain that comparing an SRO and a security guard is like comparing apples to oranges.

“That school resource officer is part of a program that’s designed nationally to better our chances in making a successful life for those young ones,” Nanos said.

He added that while he’s glad to see the funds being put towards something so important, he does wish there had been funds specifically set aside for security instead of coming from carryover dollars.

However, this is not the first time there has been a grant like this offered to schools.

Over the last year, Horne said they have doubled the police presence on school campuses, saying there are more than 300 officers across the state.

He explained having the officers on campus is their way of ensuring all students’ lives are protected, which is their priority.

The recent uptick in school tragedies has really weighed on Laura Aguilar, making her nervous to one day send her son to school, which is why she thinks this decision is right.

“If that could even simply detour someone from showing up with a gun and taking a life, do I think that’s worth it? Yeah. Yeah, I absolutely do,” Aguilar said. “Especially a child who has not lived.”

Under the state’s school safety law, funds that are not used on officers can be used for added school counselors and social workers, which Horne said is also very important.

However, he hopes schools will apply for the grant on Oct. 21 to reduce the risk of a disaster.

“If they found out that the school could have had a police officer that we would pay for and they didn’t do it, you can imagine how they would feel about that, decision making,” Horne said.

The Tucson Unified School District told 13 News in a statement that they are unable to have an SROs due to a lack of resources from the Tucson Police Department.

However, the district said it does use retired officers and it is hopeful to apply for the grant to continue those services.