Superintendent tells board SRO salary change will cost district about $90,000; options under discussion
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Douglas said a county decision to raise school-resource-officer salaries has created about a $90,000 budgetary impact for Horseheads; the board discussed potential long-term responses and requested follow-up.
Superintendent Dr. Douglas told the Horseheads Central School District board that a county-level change to school-resource-officer (SRO) compensation created an unplanned budget impact of roughly $90,000 for the district.
“We actually had been very forthcoming and worked very diligently with the sheriff,” Dr. Douglas said, describing prior coordination. He told the board the county opted to provide a salary increase that moves the typical SRO salary from about $35,000 to $50,000, and that the district now faces an estimated $90,000 increase to its budget if it retains current SRO coverage.
Dr. Douglas said the district is not recommending cuts to SROs and that it will try to absorb or plan for the cost in the coming year. He told the board the administration will work through budget adjustments and will report back with options, noting that if the board prefers the district not to fund the increase, the alternative would be to remove SRO positions.
Board members asked whether alternative arrangements exist, including partnering with another agency. Board Member Katrina asked if the district could return to a prior agreement with the village or another provider; Dr. Douglas said he was not aware of a ready alternative agency and that the district will place the item on an upcoming agenda for additional discussion.
The board did not take an immediate formal vote on SRO staffing or budget cuts at the Aug. 5 meeting; the superintendent characterized the increase as a post-budget-season change and said he would bring options to the board for further consideration.