Board approves $517,432 sheriff contract after heated debate over safety and staffing

The El Monte Union High School District Board approved a contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for school-district law‑enforcement services — a contract the president had opposed on budget grounds.

Board President Franco Briones, who had held the item for comment, said he could not "in good conscience support this item," noting the $517,432.86 fiscal cost at a time when the district is considering staff reductions and layoffs. "Dollars 517,000 is equivalent of almost 5 FTEs or full time equivalent teachers in our district," he said, urging prioritization of classroom instruction.

Trustee Ricardo Padilla strongly disagreed, calling school resource officers a central safety measure: "A cop is somebody that we respect. A cop is somebody that's the good guy. A cop is somebody who's gonna protect our kids," he said during the debate. Trustees discussed prior arrangements with partner cities to share costs; some trustees urged renewed talks with municipal partners to offset future expenses.

After discussion and public comment, the board approved the contract on a 4–1 vote. The transcript records one recorded "nay" and a 4–1 outcome; the board did not record partisan affiliations in the roll call vote.

The board also discussed seeking clearer data from partner cities about past cost-sharing arrangements and asked staff to explore possible MOUs to share SRO costs going forward.