Cass County officials discuss options as rural districts warn they may cut school resource officers

Sheriff Jonner told the Cass County Board of Commissioners that two rural school districts have signaled they may be unable to continue paying for full-time school resource deputies, and the sheriff’s office asked the board to consider options as the districts finalize budgets.

School officials for Central Cass and Maple Valley told the sheriff’s office they face rising construction and operating costs and may move from full-time to half-time coverage or otherwise reduce their contracts, Jonner said. Under current contracts he described, districts pay about 75% of the officer’s total salary and equipment cost and the county funds the remaining roughly 25%.

That allocation has allowed Cass County to place deputies at smaller, rural schools and to stage deputies around the county to shorten response times, Jonner said. “I think the most valuable part of it is really the connections,” Jonner said, describing the relationship-building between deputies and students as the program’s primary benefit.

Commissioners and staff said the year-over-year increases in the county cost for an SRO have been higher than typical school salary increases and that may be driving districts’ concerns. Jonner said the county’s annual increase for those positions has averaged about 6%; he said school salary increases have generally been in the 2%–3% range. The sheriff and staff told commissioners the annual per-officer cost for a full‑time SRO would rise from about $73,000 to roughly $80,000 in the coming contract cycle, an increase commissioners said some districts have questioned.

Commissioner Bridal and others said they value the program’s benefit to rural schools and expressed concern about the public reaction if coverage is reduced. Commissioners discussed short-term options including sharing a half-time officer between two small schools and evaluating whether the county could absorb a larger share of the cost during upcoming budget deliberations.

Jonner said Mapleton already has a half‑time SRO who splits remaining hours on county traffic duties; Maple Valley has been relying on fill‑in coverage while one deputy is on medical leave. Jonner also noted the strategic placement of deputies in Kindred, Maple Valley, northern Cass and Central Cass (Mapleton), adding that five deputies are staged around the county under the current contracts.

No formal decision was taken. Commissioners asked sheriff’s office staff to compile options and a recommendation for the board’s June 2 meeting, including scenarios for keeping coverage full-time, moving to shared half-time positions, or increasing the county contribution during the budget process.

Questions commissioners raised that remain unresolved in the meeting record included whether insurance or liability costs would change if a district removed an SRO and whether legislative proposals such as a proposed 3% budget cap would alter the county’s ability to shift funds to SRO contracts.

The sheriff’s office emphasized the program’s stated safety and prevention roles and the importance of school‑community relationships in recommending any long-term change.