Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners postpone SRO funding changes, seek holistic review of costs and service impacts
Summary
Kootenai County commissioners agreed to keep current school resource officer arrangements for the upcoming year and to evaluate contract funding and service-level impacts in the fall after hearing the school district and sheriff's office.
Deputy Superintendent Seth Denniston of Coeur d'Alene Public Schools and Under Sheriff Brett Nelson appeared before the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 12 to discuss school resource officer (SRO) contracts and funding.
"We view this as a partnership between ourselves and Kootenai County Sheriff's Office," Seth Denniston said. He asked the county for as much advance notice as possible before making significant changes to SRO funding because the district operates on a two-year levy cycle; the district's budget year begins July 1. Denniston said many SRO contracts allocate 50% to 75% of the total deputy cost to schools because deputies are not needed year-round and spend portions of the summer on patrol during peak recreation and tourism periods.
Under Sheriff Brett Nelson told the commissioners the contracts "are all substantially similar. However, price is a material term. And if we don't have an agreed upon price, we don't have a contract." Commissioners said it was too late in the district's budget cycle to adopt changes for the coming year and directed staff to continue current contracts for the immediate year and to undertake a fuller review in the fall.
Commissioners emphasized two review goals: quantify how SRO contracts affect sheriff's office staffing and service levels and assess fiscal impacts of backfilling deputies removed from patrol duties. One commissioner said the county must avoid piecemeal decisions that lead to later requests for more funding in other departments.
No formal action or vote was taken; the board provided policy direction to continue existing SRO contracts for the current year and to schedule a comprehensive review to inform any changes for future budgets.
Why it matters: SRO contract terms affect both school safety and county patrol staffing. Changes to cost-sharing and contract terms can create budgetary and operational ripple effects across county departments and the school district.
