Franklin Pierce ends SRO contract; community urges reinvestment in counselors and restorative programs

The Franklin Pierce School District said Aug. 12 it and the Pierce County Sheriff's Office mutually agreed to end the district's School Resource Officer (SRO) contract for the 2025'26 school year, Superintendent Lance Goodpaster told the board at its regular meeting.

Goodpaster said the decision reflected the district's multi-year budget reductions (more than $15 million over three years) and that an offer to reduce coverage from two dedicated officers to one was not accepted by the sheriff's office. He said the district receives about $75,000 a year from the state for safety and security under the formula that yields roughly 1.3 staff positions but that those funds do not cover the cost of SROs. The district will still contract with the sheriff's office on an as'needed basis for large events, Goodpaster said, and will maintain emergency communication lines with the department.

The announcement drew sustained public comment. At least a dozen teachers, paraeducators, community organizers and students described the decision as a step toward protecting immigrant families and reducing harm to students. "Cancel the contract with the Pierce County sheriff," said Eugenia Cascante, speaking for local immigration and education groups. "This decision also creates an opportunity to protect students in ways that have been proven to work by investing in counselors, mental-health supports and restorative justice."

Pam Cruz, a special-education teacher at Ford Middle School, urged the board to reconsider, recounting incidents where an SRO collaborated with staff to de-escalate violent outbursts and support grieving students. "Cutting the SROs means we lose a member of our team," she said.

Speakers on both sides emphasized alternatives and next steps. Several community members pointed to restorative-justice work at Washington High School as a model and asked the board to redirect funds to counselors, paraeducators and expanded social-emotional supports. "What does real safety look like in our school community?" asked Matt Price, a staff facilitator at Washington High School's restorative-justice program, noting the program logged thousands of student visits and hundreds of hours of support last year.

Goodpaster said the district will schedule at least one forum for a more detailed community conversation about safety and next steps so students, families and staff can weigh in. He emphasized that while SROs will not be on campuses daily, the district will continue to coordinate with law enforcement for emergencies and select events.

The board did not take a separate vote at the meeting on the SRO decision; administrators described the contract as concluded by mutual agreement and announced plans for further community engagement and staffing analysis.