Parents, teachers urge city to restore SRO after temporary reassignment; council schedules fuller review

Parents, teachers and school staff pressed the Rohnert Park City Council on Jan. 13 to restore sworn officer coverage at district schools after the city temporarily reassigned its school resource officer.

Teacher and community leader Hbrran Ortega told the council the Rohnert Park Unified School District and families want an uninterrupted sworn presence at campuses and urged shared funding with the district to sustain the position. Ortega cited prior council correspondence that the city had shouldered the full SRO cost and that a single SRO’s fully loaded annual cost exceeded $220,000 in 2025.

“Both challenges are staffing and funding,” said Ortega, adding that the city described the change to him as a temporary reassignment and that he expects many residents to attend a Jan. 27 meeting when the council takes up the issue.

City Manager (title) responded that the SRO assignment was a temporary reassignment of Public Safety Officer Debbie Lamison driven by staffing shortages, not the elimination of the program. The city manager and Chief Matoss said the department is seeking ways to limit disruption while recruiting and completing field training for recent academy graduates.

“It's our intention to make sure that we are not eliminating the program,” the city manager said, promising a presentation on Jan. 27 that will explain how the program started, how the city has funded it, and what immediate steps the city can take to avoid any day without sworn officer coverage.

Labor and staffing questions dominated the discussion. Ellen Buden, field representative for SEIU, told the council that bargaining-unit members remain anxious about healthcare and pay—saying members are roughly 17% below market with peer cities—and warned that a contract impasse could leave employees responsible for healthcare costs. Council members and staff acknowledged the concerns and said the city had previously adopted a 3% increase to stabilize retention but that recruitment and overtime pressures persist.

Council directed staff to bring a detailed staffing and finance report to the Jan. 27 meeting and voted to advance the related consent item while asking for immediate clarification to residents about the temporary nature of the reassignment. No formal policy change was approved at the Jan. 13 meeting.

The council’s next steps are procedural: staff will present a staffing analysis that calculates how long the reassignment is likely to last, options to maintain part‑time sworn presence in schools, and potential cost‑sharing scenarios with the school district. If a party proposes a formal funding arrangement or eases staffing constraints, any permanent change would require future council action.

Background: The SRO program has a long history in Rohnert Park. Council members noted prior years' costs and that the city has historically covered the full cost of the SRO. The Jan. 27 agenda will include a staff presentation and allow public testimony; the council encouraged families and district representatives to attend.

Council action: The council requested a staff report and scheduled the Jan. 27 presentation; no binding change to the program was made Jan. 13.