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Fridley superintendent outlines expanded SRO agreements and funding structure; city council review next week
Summary
The superintendent described two SRO agreements—a traditional two-officer model and an expanded 'setting 4' arrangement whose higher price is offset by tuition and special-education dollars—and said the SRO items will be on the city council consent agenda next Monday.
Superintendent Dr. Lewis described two school resource officer (SRO) arrangements the district is pursuing and previewed cost structures during the board meeting.
Dr. Lewis said the district’s "traditional" SRO agreement places two officers in the secondary schools (Officer Nico at Fridley High School and Officer Dave at Fridley Middle School) with event coverage and shared costs; she told the board that the traditional SRO cost is about $145,000 for 2025–26 and rises to $154,000 the following year. She also described an expanded "setting 4" SRO arrangement to serve special programs that she said runs about $403,000 annually but, she said, carries "0 impact to our general fund" because the cost is covered through tuition agreements and special-education funding.
Dr. Lewis emphasized the partnership with the Fridley Police Department and said two additional SROs are planned (one to start the first day of school, the other by Jan. 1) pending hiring and field training timelines. She also highlighted an interim security hire—identified as "Jason," a retired SRO working in a security role—who has reduced on-site incident calls while the district awaits staffing.
Dr. Lewis said the SRO agreements will go on the City of Fridley council consent agenda next Monday, and she framed the arrangements as focused on safety, relationship-building, and event coverage while noting the complexity of policing in school settings.
