Woodbury council tables new School Resource Officer agreement after dispute over wording of contract history

The City of Woodbury on April 2 heard a staff presentation on a proposed School Resource Officer (SRO) contract with Independent School District 833 but decided to table the resolution after council members objected to last‑minute language changes in the contract’s introductory (whereas) clauses.

Public‑safety director Jason Pozel told the council the agreement is intended to cover SRO services at Woodbury High School and East Ridge High School during the school year, approximately 40 hours per week per SRO; special event staffing would be handled in a separate agreement. Pozel described the financial framework: the district will pay 75% of the annual full burden rate for an officer’s in‑school time, and the contract provides $2,250 annually per SRO to the city to cover training and equipment that previously had been paid by the city.

Pozel also described absence and staffing rules: the city will provide a substitute in‑school officer per statute, substitutes may be used up to 60 days before specialized SRO training is required, and the contract allows short‑term emergency removal of an SRO (during which the district would not be billed). The contract contains a 60‑day termination notice clause for either party.

During council discussion, some members objected to edits requested by the school district that altered a whereas clause describing the city’s 2023 resolution (resolution 23‑155). Council members said the council had previously directed staff to terminate the 2008 agreement and that changing the whereas clause would rewrite that history. City attorneys and staff said the proposed edits were largely phrasing changes and would not alter the substantive obligations in the contract; the city and school district negotiating teams had exchanged red‑line versions for months.

Because council members wanted more time to review the language and its historical record, the council voted by voice to table the resolution. The council’s voice vote to table was recorded as aye by Council Members Santini, Stafford, Wilson, Morris and Mayor Burt. The item will return to council after staff transmits the original resolution, the termination transmittal that was sent to the district, and after a follow‑up meeting the mayor said would take place with district representatives.

Why it matters: the SRO agreement governs responsibilities and cost‑sharing for law enforcement officers assigned to the city’s two high schools. The proposed contract includes a shift to a fixed 75% cost share of the full burden rate for in‑school time and adds an annual per‑officer training/equipment payment of $2,250; the change shifts some recurring costs from the city to the district and clarifies substitute and termination procedures.

What’s next: staff will provide the council with the original resolution (23‑155) and related transmittal documents, the mayor and staff will meet with the school district this week, and the council will reconsider the SRO resolution after that follow‑up and after review of the redlined language.