Round Rock ISD Police Force Would Cost $1.08 Million: Report

ROUND ROCK, TX — The cost to create a Round Rock ISD police department for the next school year would be $1.08 million, city officials estimated in a Thursday night presentation.

In their presentation, district staff members detailed the cost to create a campus police force along with reasons why they believe it's needed. Officials cited a recent "call to action" by Gov. Greg Abbott — a series of round table discussions on preventing school shootings after one that occurred in Santa Fe, Texas — as a key reason for the initiative.

Creation of a Round Rock ISD police force has wide support by district officials; Superintendent Steve Flores, Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks and Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody previously have voiced support for its formation.

For their part, many students have previously called for stricter gun control measures to safeguard their safety. One such overture came during participation in a National School Walkout mass protest in response to the school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on Feb. 14 that left 17 dead. Two months later, the issue hit closer to home with a school shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, just outside Houston. That massacre by another lone gunman — a 17-year-old student at the school — claimed ten lives.

The presentation on Thursday included costs associated with creating a police force on a 226- and 260-day schedule. For the former, a district police chief would draw an estimated salary of $133,305 with school resource officers paid $60,878 while the latter calls for a higher chief's salary of $153,359 and officers' annual pay of $70,037.

Additionally, a dispatcher would have an annual salary of $43,455 in the 226-day scenario and $49,992 for the longer period of implementation.

Reasons for creation, goals toward that end:

• The safety of our students as the district's highest priority.
• In March of 2017, Round Rock ISD was notified that the 2020-2021 academic school year would be the last year school resource officers would be provided to our secondary campuses by the city of Round Rock.
• Round Rock ISD officers would train with district staff staff on district policies, procedures, and new initiatives such as Restorative Practices and diversity training.
• A Round Rock ISD police department would provide consistent safety oversight for district campuses. During the 2017-2018 academic school year, there were about 600 days where some secondary campuses did not have SRO (school resource officers) coverage, officials noted.
• Chief Banks and Sheriff Chody have stated that creating a RRISD police department is the best option for Round Rock ISD, according to the presentation. Both have pledged to assist the district with the formation of a police department with a phase-in approach.
• "The creation of an RRISD Police Department will be our best assurance that we consistently have officers at all of our secondary campuses," district officials wrote.
• "We are currently awaiting approval from the Williamson County Commissioner’s Court to approve the nine SRO’s that have been requested for the 2018-2019 school year from the Sheriff’s Department."
• Governor’s call to action of May 30, 2018.

Proposed timeline with dates for key milestones.

• June 2018-August 2018: Board approves resolution.
• August 2018-October 2018: Meet statutory requirement.
• November 2018-January 2019: Hire a police chief.
• January 2019-March 2019: Hire four SRO’s and dispatcher.
• June 2019-August 2019: Hire ten SRO’s.
• March 2020-August 2020: Hire ten SRO’s

The cost breakdown for 2018-19:

• Police chief, equipment and uniforms: $209,156.
• 4 SRO’s, equipment and uniforms: $466,700.
• Dispatcher, equipment and uniforms: $ 60,205.
• Insurance and Bonding: $ 2,400.
• Facility Modifications: $200,000.
• Total: $938,461.
• +15% additional cost: $140,770.
• Estimated Grand Total 2018-2019: $1,079,231

A campus police station wouldn't be unprecedented in the region. The police department at Pflugerville ISD was launched in 2008, with current staffing of 24 officers serving about 25,431-students district. By comparison, the Round Rock ISD has some 48,500 students.

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