Rockingham County Schools adopts revised SRO staffing plan, lowers district reimbursement to 75% with cap

The Rockingham County Board of Education voted June 9 to adopt a new school resource officer (SRO) staffing and funding proposal designed to address vacancies and grant uncertainty while maintaining coverage across elementary, middle and high schools.

The district presenter (Agency official) told the board the plan would create 14 full-time SRO positions, add six part-time positions funded for 20 hours per week at $45 an hour (about $36,000 annually each), and include one dedicated supervisor to manage roving assignments and part-time staff. The presenter said the changes would raise the number of funded positions from 16 to about 19 positions staffed in varying full- and part-time configurations.

The proposal also asks the board to change the district reimbursement policy for agency partners from 83% of an officer’s total compensation to 75% with a cap on the reimbursement for higher-paid officers. The presenter described the cap as a tool to limit the district’s exposure on very high total-compensation officers; the proposed cap would leave a maximum district reimbursement at a level below some incumbent salaries, the presenter said.

Board members discussed the mechanics and fiscal impact. One member asked where the 83% figure originated; the presenter said it reflected an earlier statewide accounting that excluded roughly the two months children are out of school (approximately 17 percent), while a 75% figure spreads the support over the entire year. Another board member asked whether the state’s Center for Safer Schools grant would cover the changes; the presenter said that grant had not yet opened and could not be counted on by July 1 and that, without the grant, Rockingham County Schools would need to fund a larger share from its state 069 line item.

The presenter provided district-level cost accounting: the average total compensation for an SRO is about $93,215; at 83 percent that averages about $77,368 and at 75 percent about $69,911. The presenter described a previous year total program cost of roughly $1.73 million combining grant, agency and district contributions and said the district’s calculated share varies depending on grant awards and reimbursement percentages.

Several municipal police chiefs and the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office had been briefed in advance, the presenter said, and some agencies favored the part-time option because it helps them place coverage where full-time recruitment has been difficult. The proposal permits agencies to apply the $36,000 part-time allotment toward a full-time officer should they later choose to do so.

Board members raised scheduling, principal oversight and budget-timing questions. The presenter said principals would not be responsible for timesheets but would provide feedback on whether assigned officers were present; the supervisor position would help enforce accountability and maximize school visits. The presenter also recommended shifting full-time reimbursements to quarterly billing and part-time reimbursements to monthly billing to preserve district cash flow and increase oversight.

A motion to approve an amended plan (adding an additional part-time allotment for Eden) was made, seconded and passed by voice vote; board members recorded 'ayes' with no named opposition. The presenter said the next steps included meetings with law enforcement agencies, finalizing memoranda of understanding, and returning to the board with grant updates or adjustments if funding becomes available.

The board vote authorizes district staff to implement the staffing model and to negotiate MOUs with participating agencies; it does not finalize long-term budgeting changes until the district updates the comprehensive budget and receives any awarded grant funding.