STUART, Fla. — Martin County School District and Martin County Sheriff’s Office reached an agreement to keep school resource officers (SROs) in its schools for another three years.
The announcement comes following days of contentious negotiations on how the program would be funded as the district explored budget cuts, CBS reports.
RELATED: 3 Ways School Resource Officers Can Build Trust
“The question of safety was never in question,” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek. “The safety was always going to be there; how we paid for it is where our sticking point was.”
Martin County School District has 12 elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools. It also has four charter schools and five alternative education programs. There are currently 34 SROs spread throughout the district, with 12 assigned to elementary schools, five assigned to middle schools, and two at each high school.
Martin County School District, Martin County Sheriff’s Office Stand Their Ground
On May 15, Sheriff John Budensiek warned in a Facebook post that the district was considering “less expensive, non-law enforcement options” for school security. Using alternative security personnel would have been explored only if an agreement between the school district and the sheriff’s office could not be reached, said Superintendent Michael Maine.
“The school resource officer deputies who serve on our campuses are more than just a presence,” said Maine. “They are mentors, protectors, and trusted partners in education.”
Under the current five-year contract, which is set to expire in June, the sheriff’s office pays more than half of the $7.85 million cost for SROs. The school district said the sheriff’s office was originally calling for a 63% increase in cost for the school district, from $3.2 million to just over $5.3 million, according to Hometown News.
“Effective partnerships are built on mutual problem-solving, open dialogue, and shared responsibility,” the district said in a statement. “Instead, the District has been handed an ultimatum that would force $2,067,403 in new costs onto our operating budget—diverting money away from student programs, faculty and staff salaries, and direct educational services.”
The district also pushed back on the sheriff’s office’s claim that the proposed increase made up less than 1% of the district’s $583 million budget.
“While this narrative is an attention grabber, it is wholly misleading,” the statement continued. “Most of our budget is categorically restricted — earmarked by state and federal law for transportation, food services, capital projects, or other specific uses. Very little of it is available for discretionary operational spending.”
RELATED: 9 Common Traits of Autism SROs Should Know to Foster Positive Student Interactions
Ultimately, Budensiek and Maine announced during a news conference Friday that an agreement had been reached. Under the new contract, the district will increase its paid cost to about $4.5 million while the sheriff’s office will pay about $3.5 million, which will include about $800,000 for school crossing guards. Both agencies said they would make cuts to pay for the program without raising taxes. However, no specifics were provided.
“I believe that we have struck balance with this agreement that we reached this morning,” Maine said during the news conference. “The purpose of our discussions was not whether we value student safety but rather how to assure we both can sustainably afford the costs associated with providing that safety in a way that is fiscally responsible to the taxpayers that both of us serve.”
The new agreement still needs final approval from the school board, which Maine said should happen by June.
