Niskayuna board approves school resource officer agreement; member raises cost, precedent concerns

NISKAYUNA, N.Y. — The Niskayuna Central School District Board of Education voted unanimously Aug. 26 to approve an agreement with the Town of Niskayuna to place a school resource officer in district schools.

The vote followed a presentation of the agreement and discussion about who will pay for the officer while on campus. A board member said the district will cover 100% of the SRO’s cost while the officer is in school; that same board member said the budgeted amount was $115,000, described to the board as “conservative” and covering administrative fees, but added the actual cost could exceed that estimate.

Board member concerns focused on how the SRO will be funded and the precedent the agreement sets for future officers. The board member said the parties had discussed a 70/30 cost split but that, under the agreement as described in the meeting, the district would fully fund the officer while the SRO is on campus. The board member also noted that potential offsets discussed previously, including bus stop-arm funds, have not been applied and said there are “a couple options for us to stay underneath that $115” budgeted amount.

Superintendent Schulz recommended approving the agreement; the motion to approve the attached agreement between the Town of Niskayuna and the school district carried 7-0. A town representative thanked the board and administrative staff for a collaborative process, saying the town and district had “arrived in grama with the town of Nistina that is very consistent with our commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and the commitment that we make to our community.”

Votes at a glance - Approval of agenda for the Aug. 26, 2025, special meeting — approved, vote recorded as 7-0. - Personnel: approval of regular staffing actions dated Aug. 26, 2025 — approved, vote recorded as 7-0. - Approval of adjusted 2025–26 substitute rate (effective Sept. 1, 2025), upon the recommendation of Superintendent Schulz — approved, vote recorded as 7-0. - Approval of the agreement with the Town of Niskayuna for a school resource officer — approved, vote recorded as 7-0.

What happened in the meeting District staff introduced routine personnel and budgeting items early in the special meeting and the board approved staffing actions and a substitute pay-rate adjustment effective Sept. 1, 2025. Discussion on the SRO agreement took place after those items. A board member requested a brief statement before the SRO vote to clarify funding and precedent concerns; the comment preceded the roll call.

No executive session was held; the board adjourned after completing the agenda.

Sources and attributions - Superintendent Schulz (Superintendent) recommended approval of the substitute rate adjustment and the SRO agreement. - Sarah Miller (school district staff) presented the personnel regular staffing actions. - A town representative spoke in favor of the collaborative process with the district. - An unnamed board member expressed questions and concerns about SRO funding and precedent; that member noted the district would cover the officer’s in-school cost and that the budgeted amount was $115,000.