Tomball ISD and the city of Tomball’s agreement to provide school resource o cers, which began in the early 2000s, comes to a halt in March. NEGOTIATING SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
DEC. 9: Tomball sends TISD a 90-day termination notice of the SRO contract, stating the city cannot meet TISD’s demands, which included not funding support sta .
FEB. 20: An in-person meeting between Tomball City Council and TISD trustees to continue discussions about providing services is canceled upon TISD’s refusal to meet.
AUG. 2022
SEPT. 2022
OCT. 2022
NOV. 2022
DEC. 2022
JAN. 2023
FEB. 2023
MARCH 2023
NOV. 16: After the city presents a plan for a 26-o cer division that includes sta such as dispatchers, TISD replies its goal is to increase SRO visibility
SEPT. 9: Tomball amends its agreement with TISD and expedites its previous goal to provide 16 o cers by the end of the 2022-23 school year.
JAN. 10: TISD approves an interlocal agreement with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s O ce to add 4 SROs for
FEB. 17: TISD writes to the city that it is in the best interest of the district to partner with one agency for SRO services; TISD declines to meet with the city.
FEB. 21: TISD and the city of Tomball publicly announce the termination of the SRO contract. The city will provide SROs through this school year. Harris County approves 4 o cers for TISD from the constable’s o ce.
AUG. 1: The city approves a three-year extension of the interlocal agreement with TISD to incrementally increase the number of o cers to 15 in the 2024-25 school year.
and presence at campuses, not to fund support sta .
the ongoing school year.
SOURCES: CITY OF TOMBALL, TOMBALL ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT EDUCATION
Tomball ISD resource o cer contract terminated The city of Tomball has terminated its three-year agreement to provide school resource o cers to Tomball ISD, the city announced in a news release Feb. 21. potential agreement would supple- ment the number of o cers in the district to reach 20. The additional o cers were approved by Harris County com- BY ANNA LOTZ & LIZZY SPANGLER division, which would include support sta such as dispatchers, according to the city’s Dec. 9 letter. “Our intent and goal is to increase SRO visibility and presence on
GROWING THE FORCE
O cers have been added to the SRO program the last several years. O cers Sergeants 2011: 4 SROs
16 o cers 2023 goal:
our campuses, not necessarily the buildup of a larger command team with dispatchers and administrative assistants,” Salazar-Zamora said in the Nov. 16 letter. In the city’s reply Dec. 9, Esquivel said the city could not continue to provide SROs with that goal in mind. “The city must enable our o cers to be in a position to perform the requirements of the agreement and provide the best service possible for the students and sta ,” Esquivel said in the letter. “This includes providing SROs the support and resources they need to do their job.” What’s next? The two entities were set to meet Feb. 20, according to a meeting agenda; however, the district declined the meeting. In a Feb. 17 letter to the city, board President Lee McLeod said the dis- trict was exploring all viable options for security. Most TISD campuses are located outside of Tomball city limits. In August, Community Impact reported that TISD Chief Operat- ing O cer Steven Gutierrez said
missioners Feb. 21, according to TISD. Meeting information shows the agreement spans from March 11-Sept. 30, and the district will pay 100% of the cost, totaling $247,677. According to the city’s release, the city claims negotiations stalled in the fall over providing more SROs after the district said it did not want to pay for support sta . “This issue has not been about the costs associated with [support services] but the equitable responsi- bilities,” City Manager David Esquivel said via email. Support sta , which the city claims it is funding at no cost to the district, include positions such as a commanding o cer and a dispatcher, according to the release. More o cers were also needed because of enrollment growth, according to the release. The National Association of School Resource O cers recommends one SRO per school, according to its website. TISD has 12 SROs for its 22 campuses. In an e ort to increase safety, Tom- ball Police Chief Je Bert presented a plan to the district for a 26-o cer
2016: 5 SROs
The city provided its 90-day termi- nation notice in a letter to the district Dec. 9, which Community Impact obtained, meaning the contract ended March 9. In a Feb. 21 letter sent to TISD stakeholders, the district said the existing 12 SROs will remain through the end of the school year. It was not clear what options TISD may be pursuing to maintain a law enforcement presence afterward. According to the city’s release, the city has partnered with TISD to provide SROs since the early 2000s, increasing its number of o cers most recently in September to 16 SROs by the end of the 2022-23 school year. The two shared the salary and bene t costs, with TISD paying 75% for 15 o cers and 100% of one o cer. The termination of the contract comes after the district approved an agreement with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s O ce on Jan. 10 to add four SROs. In a Nov. 16 letter from Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora to the city obtained by Community Impact , Salazar-Zamora said she hoped the
2020: 8 SROs
2021: 9 SROs
2022: 12 SROs
exploring the creation of an inde- pendent police department was not an option. However, Salazar-Zamora said Feb. 21 that the district may pursue its own police force. TISD’s next steps were unclear as of press time March 10. “As a fast-growth district, we continue to analyze and evaluate our safety needs, including exploring options ranging from expanding the number of SROs with current and additional partners to the potential establishment of a Tomball ISD police department,” she said in the letter.
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