SROs and liability insurance added to model discussion after committee hears districts’ concerns about concealed-carry changes

Several districts and panelists told the Select Committee on School Finance that the recalibration must estimate costs for school-resource officers and for rising liability and cyber-insurance premiums.

Consultants noted the model historically excluded SROs, reasoning that police departments provide local law enforcement coverage and that a single officer in a school cannot alone address some active-shooter situations. However the preliminary panels and public commenters said schools want a trained law-enforcement presence in many high schools and some middle schools, and that the judge’s ruling includes SROs as a cost the model should estimate.

Liability and cyber-insurance Panelists reported higher insurance costs in recent renewals. One district business manager said her district's liability policy increased and that a rider to address recent concealed-carry law changes added about $35,000 to the district’s premium. The same district reported that cyber-liability coverage and response support had raised costs over recent years.

Practical complications Consultants and panelists said SRO costs include contracting law-enforcement agencies, training and equipment, coverage for evenings and events, scheduling to cover vacations and sick leave, and insurance consequences. "A single SRO is not necessarily gonna be able to respond by themselves to a shooter situation," Dr. Pikes told the committee, adding that districts often prefer contracting with an agency that already provides sworn officers.

Next steps Consultants said they will include SRO estimates and insurance-cost reviews in the recalibration modeling. Districts asked the committee to explore whether state-level pooling or other approaches could reduce premium costs, and to clarify the interaction between state liability protections and commercial insurance coverage.