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, leaving the district uncertain how SRO coverage will be funded going forward.

Why it matters: the availability and funding source for an SRO affects school safety planning, the district budget and whether the district must reassign existing resources or seek new funding if the federal hold remains.

Details of the sheriff's proposal and next steps

Sedlmeier said the tribal police took one of two positions that were previously offered; the tribe has been unable to fill the second position because of manpower issues. He said the sheriff's office can be competitive with the tribal arrangement and would supply the patrol vehicle and uniform, and provide a dedicated officer whose primary assignment would be the school.

"We can be really competitive with that number," Sedlmeier said, adding that the sheriff's office's advantages include state certification for officers so they can travel with school teams and full-time visibility at district schools.

Sedlmeier said he will present a memorandum of understanding to his commission and asked the district to review the draft and consider authorizing the superintendent (name not specified in the transcript) or the superintendent's delegate to enter into the agreement once the county completes its vetting process.

Funding uncertainty

At the meeting, a district official identified as the superintendent told the board that Title II and Title IV allocations have been announced but the funds have not been released, and that for this district the two titles amount to roughly $1.3 million. The official said Title II supports professional development and retention bonuses, while Title IV funds programs including art, security, SROs and music. The official warned the board that without those funds the district would need to find the money in its budget.

Board response and next steps

Sedlmeier said he already has candidates who have expressed interest and that the county would begin background checks and recruitment as soon as the commission approves the MOU. He asked the board to review the proposed agreement and consider giving the superintendent authority to finalize an arrangement when the county is ready.

No formal board vote on a contract or authorization to sign the MOU is recorded in the transcript segment. The discussion concluded with board members acknowledging the new funding uncertainty and agreeing the district should continue the review process before taking final action.

Provenance: Meeting transcript includes the sheriff's presentation and the district's funding update; the discussion began with Sheriff Bob Sedlmeier's remarks and concluded with a district statement about the funding pause.