DeWine releases budget plan, proposes funding to school districts for school resource officers

DAYTON — Gov. Mike DeWine stopped by Dayton Wednesday during his two-day budget tour following his State of the State address.

Part of DeWine’s plan sets aside money for districts to get help paying for school resource officers — sworn officers from departments in the school’s community.

Multiple school districts in the Miami Valley shared how they would welcome the extra help.

Mad River Local Schools in Riverside is in its first year with a school resource officer.

“He’s housed at Stebbins, that’s our high school. But he covers all eight buildings. That’s his responsibility,” Chad Wyen, superintendent of Mad River Local Schools said.

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Wyen said the district splits the cost three ways for their SRO from Riverside Police Department.

“We have a grant that helps cover the cost. The cost of the officer is about $120,000. That includes salary and benefits,” Wyen said.

News Center 7′s John Bedell looked at Miami Valley’s three largest districts.

Each has at least three SROs which cost them an average of around $36,000 per officer, per school, per year.

Like Wyen, they said they have been open to expanding their programs and hiring more SROs if they can get more money from the state to help cover the cost.

“Many school officials have told me they’d love to have a school resource officer in their school, but simply can’t afford it,” DeWine said Wednesday.

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That’s where part of the governor’s two-year budget could come in.

It would make money available to every school in the state, public or private, to either start or expand their school resource officer program.

DeWine shared how this money would possibly be allocated.

“The poorer school districts will get more money towards that resource officer, more affluent districts will, candidly, get less. But every district will get some help in getting a school resource officer in that school,” DeWine said.

DeWine creates his budget but has to make his pitch to state lawmakers who have the final say.

This is a developing story and we will continue to follow the budget.

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