School Board Director of Finance Kim Lake said the state will provide $440,000 in 2018-19 to hire additional school resource officers for the county’s public schools.

Sheriff Bobby McCallum said he needs 11 additional sheriff’s deputies to place a school resource officer in every school. He said the cost will be $1.4 million next year.

The sheriff’s office this year spent $552,000 to fund 5 ½ school resource officer positions, of which $83,400 came from the school board, according to McCallum.

Neither the school board nor the Levy County Commission, which funds the sheriff’s office, has found money to pay for all the additional school resource officer positions, but both boards indicated the positions will be funded.

McCallum said it costs $118,000 for every new patrol deputy, including salary, high-risk retirement, health insurance, a patrol car with the police package, a mounted laptop, gun and bulletproof vest.

School resource officers are stationed at schools with their marked patrol cars. The officers are patrol deputies whose sole job is to protect students and staff at Levy County public schools.

The push for additional school deputies stems from the Florida Legislature’s approval of the Majorie Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act. McCallum said his interpretation of the law, and that of law officers around the state is that an armed school resource officer should be stationed at every school.
State lawmakers made the law effective immediately but didn’t provide full funding for the additional officers at every school. The school board and county commission will be forced to make up for the shortfall.

The focus on improving school safety was triggered by the mass murder of 17 students and faculty at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in February. The school is located in Broward County.

Regular Meeting of School Board of Levy County April 10, 2018
Posted April 10, 2018