SRO Informational Sheet-
Herkimer Central School District
Background
There has been some recent discussion regarding the SRO program and the details of the agreement. The purpose of this Informational Sheet is to provide some facts. On November 22, 2023, Herkimer Mayor Dana Sherry sent the Herkimer Central School District a letter requesting “a meeting to sit down and negotiate or potentially suspend the current School Resource Officer (SRO) contract with the Village of Herkimer,” without the authority or knowledge of the Village Trustees. A follow up letter from Mayor Sherry dated December 13, 2023, stated that “the Village of Herkimer has no intention of removing the SRO officers during this school year.” A meeting took place between the Village representatives and BOE Intergovernmental Committee on January 10, 2024 to review the current SRO agreement as per the Village request.
What is an SRO?
The primary role of the School Resource Officer (SRO), as defined by the signed agreement with the Village of Herkimer dated March 2022, includes but is not limited to:
● Improving public safety and security on school grounds,
● Providing community outreach, truancy reduction, drug education and prevention services (LEAD program),
● Facilitating counseling, mediating student-teacher and student-parent communication and conflicts, and other conflict resolution,
● Proposing and enforcing policies and procedures (i.e. Districtwide Safety Plan) related to school safety,
● Serving as a liaison with community agencies (i.e. ICAN, social services, law enforcement entities, courts, health care and mental health providers).
SRO Agreement
The SRO Agreement between the Village of Herkimer and the Herkimer Central School District (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025) states:
● The Village shall provide the District with at least two (2) police officers as SROs to the District’s Campus. Should an assigned SRO be absent, the Village will provide an SRO to replace the normally assigned SRO.
● The annual amount to be paid by the District shall be $133,718 in each school year for the full time schedule, or prorated for a lesser amount as dictated by actual hours. It should be noted that the District has always paid its negotiated share of the SRO program, with regular increases since the start of the program in 2017.
● This amount was calculated in cooperation with the former mayor based on the salary and benefits (insurance, social security, worker’s compensation, retirement and disability) specific to the assigned SROs for the 181 days they are scheduled to work for the District.
● This amount may be modified after the 2024-25 school year at the time of renewal in a manner mutually agreeable to both parties.
● Either party can terminate this agreement, with or without cause, upon thirty days prior written notice to the other party.
Other Relevant Facts
● Prior to the 2023-24 school year (6 years after the inception of the program), the Village did not bill the District for supervision of activities outside the school day, all of which involve the public (i.e. athletic events, school concerts, etc.). Without notice and for the first time since the inception of the program, the Village billed the school for outside supervision.
● Likewise, the District did not prorate the SRO annual salary when an SRO was absent from school.
● The District has contributed to the cost of the annual SRO training specific to their school roles and responsibilities.
● SRO’s are assigned to the schools for the days that students are in the buildings. During the school breaks and during the summer, the SRO’s are scheduled to serve and protect the village.
● Contracting with the Village for an SRO provides our schools with Herkimer police officers specifically trained for the school environment, with current knowledge of community issues that impact our students. In addition, their knowledge of our students helps HPD to better serve our community. It is a reciprocal relationship that benefits both parties, most importantly, the safety and security of our school community.
● If the contract was terminated or not renewed, Herkimer schools will no longer have the SRO services. Based on a conversation with the Herkimer County Sheriff as recently as June, 2024, there is no guarantee that the District would even be able to secure services from the Herkimer County Sheriff’s Department.
● Although Herkimer Elementary School is outside the jurisdiction of HPD, having an SRO assigned to the elementary campus provides an immediate response. The NY State Police have a nearby command station, but these officers are dispatched miles beyond the Herkimer community, throughout Herkimer County, which significantly increases their response time. The presence of the local police department guarantees an immediate emergency response on our elementary school campus.
Conclusion
The purpose of local government is to serve its community, and schools are the heart of this community. Our parents, guardians, teachers, staff, and students should be able to rely on the community police force to protect and serve our schools, which ultimately serves our community.
Before the expiration of our current agreement, the Herkimer Central School District hopes to negotiate and renew a fair agreement with the Village of Herkimer that will allow us to maintain SROs in our schools. The relationship between the Herkimer Police Department and school has provided not only collaboration with emergency training, but an essential partnership.
“It takes a village to raise a child” and this partnership truly emulates this by keeping our most prized possession, our future, a safe and nurturing environment.