Memorandum
City of Lawrence
City Manager’s Office
|
TO: |
David L. Corliss, City Manager
|
|
FROM: |
Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager
|
|
CC: |
Debbie Van Saun, Assistant City Manager Casey Liebst, Budget Manager
|
|
DATE: |
August 27, 2007
|
|
RE: |
Survey of School Resource Officer and Crossing Guard Funding
|
The Lawrence Police Department currently funds six School Resource Officers (SROs) and fourteen crossing guards. One hundred percent of the funding for these positions comes from the City’s general fund and USD 497 does not provide any financial support (USD 497 does, however, pay the off-duty security rate to have SROs at extracurricular functions such as dances and football games). I have surveyed the thirteen largest cities in Kansas (including Lawrence, which is number six) to compare our funding arrangements to those in other communities.
In ten of the thirteen communities the school districts pay at least a portion of the SRO costs. In six of the thirteen communities the school districts pay the entire cost of crossing guards or provide volunteers.
In none of the communities do the school districts pay one hundred percent of the cost of the SROs. In a number of the communities the school districts reimburse the cities at an hourly or daily rate for the SROs, but in none of those cases do the cities recover the full cost of providing the SROs (which includes salary, overtime, benefits, equipment, etc.).
Crossing guard funding appears to be a more simple arrangement in the communities surveyed – seven of the cities pay the full cost and the other six pay nothing for crossing guards. Three of the cities that provide crossing guards contract with private security firms rather than providing the personnel themselves.
The table below contains more details on the funding arrangements in the thirteen cities surveyed.
|
School Resource Officer (SRO) and Crossing Guard (CG) funding |
||||
|
City |
# of SROs |
SRO funding |
# of CGs |
CG funding |
|
Wichita |
22 |
School district pays 36.5% in 2007, 42.5% in 2008, and 50% thereafter |
unknown |
City pays 0% |
|
Overland Park |
14 |
The school district reimburses the City according to the following schedule: 0-2.75 hours=$0; 3.0-5.75 hours=$92.50; 6.0-8.0=$185.00 |
48 |
City pays 100% |
|
Unified Govt |
7 |
City pays 40% |
35 |
City pays 100% |
|
Topeka |
6 |
City pays 100% |
unknown |
City pays 0% |
|
Olathe |
16 SROs, 2 sergeants |
School district pays 50% of salary (but not benefit) costs for SROs and 1 sergeant; City pays 100% of an additional sergeant |
50 guards, 1 supervisor |
City pays 100% |
|
Lawrence |
6 |
City pays 100% |
14 |
City pays 100% |
|
Shawnee |
2.5 |
School district pays City on a contract basis ($90/day per officer). |
17 |
City pays 100% |
|
Manhattan |
unknown |
The police are a consolidated city/county department (RCPD). City pays 80% of RCPD budget. One SRO is funded from special alcohol funds (a request from DARE), and the rest entirely from RCPD budget. |
unknown |
City pays 0% |
|
Salina |
4 |
School district funds 100% (of junior officers' salaries, although the actual officers assigned to the schools are more senior) |
unknown |
City pays 0% |
|
Lenexa |
2 SRO |
School districts pay city $185/day per SRO |
18 |
City pays 100% |
|
Hutchinson |
3 |
School district funds 69% of 2 officers' salaries, and 50% of 1 officer; 50% of 1 officer is paid from special alcohol fund, remainder from City general fund |
unknown |
City pays 0% |
|
Leavenworth |
1 |
School district pays 75%, City pays 25% through a COPS grant |
0 |
City pays 0% |
|
Leawood |
2 |
School district reimburses City for 1 SRO (or 50% of total) |
6 |
City pays 100% |
|
Note: City costs are paid from general operating funds unless otherwise noted. |
||||