Board approves service agreements for school resource officers with Luna County and City of Deming

The Deming Public Schools Board of Education on July 17 approved service agreements that provide school resource officers for the 2025–26 school year: an agreement with Luna County for up to $40,406 to cover one SRO position and a separate agreement with the City of Deming for up to $95,167.58 covering two SROs.

Why it matters: SROs are stationed in district schools and are intended to provide a law-enforcement presence and student support. The county and city agreements establish funding commitments and define the staffing the district will have for the upcoming year.

Board discussion and context: district staff described the county agreement as covering one SRO and noted the sheriff did not attend the meeting; staff said they had discussed whether the officer would respond to outside calls and that some operational details still needed clarification. City Police Chief Latta attended and the district identified Officers Sergio Quezada and Angel Via as the two SROs covered by the city agreement. Board members thanked local law enforcement for partnering with the district and acknowledged staffing challenges for police departments.

Formal actions: the board moved and approved both the Luna County service agreement (up to $40,406) and the City of Deming agreement (up to $95,167.58) by roll-call vote recorded as affirmative.

Discussion vs. decision: the open-session discussion focused on staffing availability and the scope of the officer’s duties; the formal decisions approved the two service agreements. Staff noted remaining clarifications about whether county officers would take outside calls during school coverage.

Next steps: district staff will execute the agreements and confirm operational details with Luna County and the City of Deming’s police department.