Board questions size and cost of proposed school resource officer contract; seeks market comparisons

Trustees at the York Suburban School District meeting pressed administration for more data before approving a proposed school resource officer (SRO) agreement that would assign a regional officer to the district.

The draft SRO agreement with the York County Regional Police Commission lists an annual base amount calculated as 75% of a personnel cost unit (PPU). At the meeting staff explained the district’s portion would be about $124,000 for the next school year, a figure several board members said was materially higher than the district expected.

Board members asked for a detailed breakdown of the PPU formula and year‑over‑year drivers of increases, and requested comparisons to both other districts that use SROs and to private armed security firms currently used by two nearby districts. Mr. Sanders said he wanted an “exact calculation” of how the PPU is computed and asked administration to supply market comparisons and an apples‑to‑apples hourly cost for special events.

Staff answered that the PPU is an average calculated by the regional commission using officer salary and benefit costs and that the county charges the district 75% of that calculated average; staff also noted that certain equipment, vehicle and overtime costs can be included in the PPU and that departments compute it differently. Administration said some PCCD (Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency) grant funding will be applied to the SRO cost next year; the transcript shows $9,019 from PCCD allocated toward the SRO for 2025–26, not $50,000 as had been discussed earlier in public questions.

Board members raised other concerns: whether the district can expect a dedicated officer versus rotating personnel; what constitutes “special events” and the incremental hourly cost for those events; whether private security quotations (quoted in public comments as roughly $65–$70 per hour for guards) are truly comparable; and whether funds allocated for behavioral health positions funded by PCCD would be reduced to pay SRO costs. Administration said behavioral health positions funded through PCCD would continue to be funded from that grant, and explained PCCD award timing creates a two‑year spending window.

No final action on the SRO agreement was taken at the April 7 meeting. Administration said it would provide the board with the PPU calculation, comparative rates from other districts or private firms, a definition of special events and their proposed rates, and the drafted memorandum of understanding (MOU) that describes duties and expectations for any SRO.

Why it matters: the SRO decision carries ongoing annual costs and affects school safety planning, behavioral health staffing tradeoffs, and the district’s relationship with regional police. Board members emphasized they want the MOU and comparative cost data prior to taking final action.