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Board reviews draft SRO memorandum and preliminary $396K cost estimate; trustees press for role limits
Summary
District staff presented student-safety survey results and a draft memorandum of understanding for a school resource officer partnership with West Sacramento Police; preliminary total cost estimates approached $396,500, with the district and city discussing a roughly 50/50 split and trustees emphasizing the SRO's role as a resource rather than a disciplinarian.
Washington Unified trustees reviewed a draft memorandum of understanding for a school resource officer (SRO) partnership and districtwide student-safety survey data at the May 22 board meeting.
Dr. Jay Burns, director of special programs and student services, said the district has set aside $377,000 to begin the initiative and that a recent city-provided estimate puts total SRO costs at approximately $396,500. "Essentially 50% of that would be approximately 200k," Burns said when outlining the preliminary split under discussion with the city.
Burns walked trustees through student survey responses collected May 5–9 (1,782 respondents across grades and sites). Students ranked "help in emergencies or crisis," "build positive relationships with students," and "teach students about safety laws or community issues" among top expected SRO functions. Burns also emphasized language adapted from national SRO guidance that the sworn officer should act as a supportive adult and resource and not administer formal school discipline.
Trustees asked practical questions about the contract's term (Dr. Burns proposed an initial three-school-year term), whether the position would be 12 months or academic-year and how backfill would work when an officer is on leave. Board members suggested the district be part of the SRO selection process, recommended site safety-committee review of the draft, and discussed whether the service should be staffed as one FTE or two part-time employees to ensure coverage.
Burns said the memo of understanding remains a draft and will return for additional legal and city review; trustees signaled they want clearer cost breakdowns (particularly what is included in the "overhead" portion of the estimate), more clarity on deployment and a role definition that embeds the officer in the student-support team and professional-development activities.
No motion was taken; staff said they would pursue city negotiations, refine financial estimates and return with a revised proposal and timeline.
