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Board approves Safe School Officers agreement with Key West Police and Monroe County Sheriff's Office; members press for accounting of costs and hours
Summary
The Monroe County School Board voted to approve a Safe School Officers agreement with the Key West Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office after moving the item from the consent agenda for discussion.
The Monroe County School Board voted to approve a Safe School Officers agreement with the Key West Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office after removing the item from the consent agenda for discussion.
Board member Maria Khan explained the item had been moved from the consent list to action so the board could discuss budgetary and operational details. Several board members expressed concern that the district pays for school resource officers (SROs) as full‑time equivalents while the sheriff’s office and police department separately manage staffing, holidays and overtime for extracurricular events.
"We're paying for full time equivalents in both organizations, and we have them all year long," a district staff member said, and board members replied that SROs do not work school holidays and that athletic event coverage is paid for separately.
Board members asked the district and finance department to present an accounting after the fiscal year close showing what was collected from local taxes and state funding and how that money was spent — a reconciliation the board had requested previously when approving the 0.0625 millage. Khan requested that the city and county consider negotiating cost sharing with the district given budget constraints.
After discussion, the board moved and approved the agreement with no recorded no votes.
The board’s public comments also contained procedural notes: the item had been removed from the consent list earlier in the meeting to allow discussion, and board members emphasized that approval of the agreement does not necessarily change how police or sheriff departments schedule or charge for extra duty at events.
The meeting transcript does not show a breakdown of the dollar amounts paid under the agreement or a schedule of hours for SROs; board members requested that level of detail in a future reconciliation report.
