Broward school board votes to hire school resource officers at $103K annually
FORT LAUDERDALE -- The Broward County School Board on Tuesday voted to hire and pay school resource officers $103,000 annually, part of a multi-million dollar safety plan for the district.
The SRO officers are assigned to individual schools to keep kids safe.
The district had no agreement for the current school year, and as a result will have to reimburse cities for the cost they've been absorbing to pay the officers .
After this school year, the agreement will last for another three years. It's estimated the cost is $20 million a year to pay 200 SROs across the district.
Over the next three years, the district will use voter-approved referendum money to cover the costs every year going forward.
Lori Alhadeff, chair of the Broward school board, said the unpaid bill for the current school year could mean budget trouble down the road.
"I'm very nervous but we'll make it work," she said. "But something may need to be cut."