Todd County sheriff offers district SRO after tribal post remains unfilled; federal Title II/IV funds on hold

Todd County Sheriff Bob Sedlmeier told the Todd County School District 66-1 board that his office is prepared to provide a full-time school resource officer and the necessary vehicle and uniform in place of a tribal officer who has not been able to staff a second SRO position.

The sheriff told the board the annual cost to the county would be "$74,400 and some change annually," and that the sheriff's office would recruit a state-certified officer, put that officer on a county payroll with district-style benefits and offer summers off as part of the employment package.

The district was also told by a separate speaker identified at the meeting as the superintendent that roughly $1,300,000 in Title II and Title IV federal education funding "which currently pays our SRO with the tribe" has been suspended by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget,…