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Calvert County approves two additional school resource officers for FY2026; school board to reimburse costs
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved adding two full‑time school resource officers for fiscal 2026. The Calvert County Board of Education will reimburse the sheriff’s office for the positions, and officials said vehicle costs are not included in the figure presented to commissioners.
The Calvert County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 5 to approve two additional school resource officer (SRO) positions for fiscal year 2026, to be hired by the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office and reimbursed by the Calvert County Board of Education.
The request was presented to the commissioners by the sheriff’s office. Colonel Payne read a memo saying the updated memorandum of understanding with the school board would add two SROs to be hired by the sheriff’s office and reimbursed by the board of education, bringing the county total to 16 deputies assigned as SROs.
The fiscal manager’s summary read into the record listed a FY2026 fiscal impact presented as $207,001.67, described by staff as covering salaries, benefits and associated deputy costs; the sheriff’s office said new vehicle and vehicle-addition costs were not included in that figure. The sheriff asked the board to approve two new full‑time deputy sheriff positions for the SRO program, with the associated costs to be reimbursed by the school board.
Sheriff Mike Cox told commissioners he supports the expansion both for safety and for the mentoring role deputies play. "It's my goal to have every, a deputy at every school," he said, describing SROs’ role in camps and day‑to‑day student contact as mentoring beyond security.
Commissioners spoke in favor of the expansion. The board approved the hire and reimbursement arrangement by voice vote; the motion carried as recorded at the meeting.
Implementation details discussed by the sheriff’s office included how the SROs are assigned across elementary, middle and high schools and that some campuses are served by deputies who cover dual roles. Commissioners and the sheriff’s office agreed to continue phasing in positions toward the stated goal of providing SRO coverage at every school.
No vote tally by name was recorded in the public minutes; the commissioners approved the motion by voice vote. The sheriff’s office and school board will coordinate reimbursement and staffing actions moving forward.
