BY CHLOE YOUNG
The cost
Looking forward
District officials are now working on an application to create the department with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. As a part of that process, the district will need to name a police chief, hire an administrative assistant and adopt a board policy outlining how the department will be structured, Miller said. Officials are hoping to have the application submitted in the spring and receive approval in the summer. Once approved, the district can officially hire police officers with the goal of having some officers and school marshals on campuses by fall. LISD will continue its school resource officer partnerships with local police departments until those officers are no longer needed, Miller said. “While there is a potential cheaper option out there, sometimes you get what you pay for,” Miller said. “We want to be sure that we are providing the ... best people for our campuses.” Implementation timeline The district hopes to have next steps completed by the following tentative dates, Miller said. Late January: Name police chief and adopt board policy Spring: Submit TCOLE application Summer: Receive TCOLE decision August: Assuming TCOLE approval, assign officers/school marshals to some campuses
cut expenses as the majority goes to staff salaries. “If the state does not kick in additional funding, then we’re going to have to make some very difficult choices about what we stop doing in order to make this mandate happen,” Gearing said. However, some members of the community have expressed concerns that the district should have chosen a less costly option to arm its cam- puses, such as arming teachers through a school guardian program.
In fiscal year 2023-24, the district transferred $1.1 million out of its fund balance to begin the police department, Gearing said. While HB 3 allocates districts $10 per student and $15,000 per campus to meet its requirements, the $1.1 million from the bill in state funding has already been allocated for the district’s existing school resource officers, Miller said. School board President Gloria Gonzales-Dhola- kia said there’s nowhere in the district’s budget to
Costs versus funding under HB 3
Training: $10,000 Insurance (annually): $40,000 Administrative assistant: $54,903.50 Equipment: $84,000 Assistant chief: $126,906.22
State funding Leander ISD expenses
$1.14M School safety allotment
Police chief: $156,019.56 10 marshals: $631,307.50
Local SROs and drug dogs $1.17M
$1.1M
Phase 1 of police department
SOURCES: LEANDER ISD, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
In their own words
“I think with smaller classrooms and more school counselors, we’d be able to do more on our campuses with
“It’s going to be our job to make sure ... the presence of those o cers is really comforting as opposed to intimidating.” BRUCE GEARING, LEANDER ISD SUPERINTENDENT
school safety, but that’s not one of our choices.” GLORIA GONZALES- DHOLAKIA, LEANDER ISD SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT
SOURCE: LEANDER ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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LEANDER - LIBERTY HILL EDITION
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