Trustees urge county talks as SRO costs and grant conditions squeeze district funds

During the financial discussion, board members and finance staff focused on the district's cost for school resource officers. Finance staff outlined an average SRO cost of about $93,500 and said six officers would cost roughly $561,000, while the county's prior allocation was $316,000 — leaving a shortfall staff described as roughly $245,000 for the six‑officer model.

Board members said the district has tried to negotiate with county officials. Staff and trustees urged negotiating a signed memorandum of understanding with the sheriff's office; speaker 7 said one SRO grant source (the SRA grant) requires a signed agreement and that securing it could make $264,000 available for SRO support. The board discussed options including crediting county funds directly to the sheriff's office to avoid passing money through the district.

Trustees agreed staff should continue working with county officials to reconcile the SRO funding model and explore terms for an MOU and use of available grants.