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Commissioners press to preserve school resource officers as school system signals cuts
Summary
Board members expressed unanimous desire to keep SRO positions after the school system indicated it would stop funding three positions for FY26-27; the board directed staff to identify roughly $200,000 or reallocate funds to retain coverage.
The board discussed a letter from the school superintendent indicating that three School Resource Officer (SRO) positions would no longer be funded by the school board for FY26-27. Commissioners and sheriff's office representatives described the role of SROs in mentoring students and highlighted safety concerns about reducing officers in high schools.
During the discussion staff provided a cost estimate: "the cost of 1 SRO with salary of benefits was $93,225.08 per SRO," a figure presented to frame budgeting choices. Commissioners expressed that they did not want coverage reduced and asked the county manager and finance staff to pursue options to find roughly $200,000 to preserve the three positions. Several commissioners noted prior ARPA and grant funding had supported SRO costs and stressed the need for a sustainable funding source.
Sheriff's office speakers and an SRO who addressed the board emphasized the mentoring and safety roles of SROs and warned that a single deputy per high school would create unacceptable safety risks and reduce mentoring capacity. Commissioners asked county staff, the sheriff and school officials to collaborate on budget options and return with a recommendation.
