County discusses School Resource Officer hiring, grant rules and pay; public urges full use of SRO funds

The sheriff's office updated the Houston County Commission on School Resource Officer (SRO) staffing, grant coverage and recruitment challenges and commissioners and a public commenter urged the county to use all available SRO grant funds.

A sheriff's office speaker explained the county received grant funds to hire SROs that cover salaries and related costs for a specified grant period, but noted recruitment and certification requirements limit how quickly officers can be placed. The speaker said the grant covers training and salary while on the grant, but when a grant position holder is out on leave, county payroll considerations become complex.

Commissioners and the public asked about pay competitiveness and retention. A public commenter told the commission the county should try not to return grant money to the state and said the county returned $31,000 in the prior year. "Our kids and our schools need that money as much as possible," the commenter said, urging that available funds stay in the county.

Officials described the process of getting officers certified and noted that even state‑certified officers require specialized SRO training, which could add weeks to deployment timelines. Commissioners discussed possible pay adjustments to retain staff, the difficulty of filling SRO slots in rural counties, and the administrative constraints of grant terms.

No formal modification of pay scales or grant rules occurred at the meeting; the sheriff and county staff said they would continue recruitment and report on funding use and placement of SROs.