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USD 383 approves agreement to pay Riley County Police for school resource officers after divided debate (6-1)
Summary
After extended discussion about whether the district should fund school resource officer (SRO) services, the USD 383 board approved an agreement with Riley County Police Department to pay for police services at schools. The motion passed 6-1, with Trustee Katie voting no, and trustees asked staff to monitor costs year to year.
The Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 board voted 6-1 to approve an agreement to pay the Riley County Police Department for school resource officer services.
Motion and votes: Kurt moved to approve the agreement for police services; Greg seconded. The motion passed 6-1. Trustee Katie stated she would vote no, repeating a concern that the expense belongs with the county or city taxing bodies rather than the school district; other trustees said they supported the agreement to preserve SROs and to ensure continuity of services.
Debate highlights: Carla (board member) said she would vote yes but expressed concern about moving public-safety expenses into the school budget and asked trustees to "be mindful and watching the dollar amount of that contract year over year." Katie said the district is under budget pressure while other taxing authorities are not, and she opposed funding the SRO contract from the district education budget. Christine said she had "huge concerns" but voted yes reluctantly because she did not want to eliminate SROs; she urged continued discussion with city and county partners about funding responsibilities.
Superintendent Nathan Downs clarified that other districts in the county had negotiated different terms; one district chose not to pay and offered on-call access instead, while another will pay a higher rate than USD 383.
Board members asked staff to monitor the contract cost and consider the fiscal tradeoffs; trustees who voted yes said they supported sharing the cost to maintain student safety and continuity.
Ending: The item passed 6-1; board members asked administration to report back on the contract's fiscal effects in future budget cycles and to raise the topic with legislators during advocacy sessions.
