Spicewood campus gets resource officer
Spicewood Elementary School will have a school resource officer starting in the 2023-24 school year. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
A school resource officer will be on every campus in the Marble Falls Independent School District beginning in the 2023-24 academic year following an agreement with the city of Marble Falls to send an SRO to Spicewood Elementary School. The officer will be a member of the Marble Falls Police Department.
The amendment to a previously signed interlocal agreement between the district and the city was approved during a special meeting of the Marble Falls ISD Board of Trustees on Monday, June 5.
“This is a great opportunity here and gets us SROs at all campuses with Spicewood being one of the most vulnerable out there,” board President Kevin Naumann said. “I’m excited to see this happen.”
A previous attempt in January to assign an officer from the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office was unsuccessful because it would have forced that officer to take a pay cut.
“(The Marble Falls Police Department) was not the first agency we went to, but along the many discussions, they became interested and willing to help us out,” said MFISD Superintendent Dr. Jeff Gasaway. “They felt like it would be great to have one.”
Talks between the district and the city began about two months ago.
“One of the things I want to do is compliment the city as well as Marble Falls PD,” Gasaway said. “They have been a good partner to have discussions related to an SRO at Spicewood.”
The new officer will cost the district about $75,000 the first year though officials anticipate the cost will drop substantially in subsequent years.
“The good news is that, in year two, they felt like the cost would drop down to $54,000 roughly,” Gasaway said.
The new position will be in place nine months out of the year.
“Basically, (the SRO) would be (on campus) during the school year and they would not be employed during the summer, which would be putting the burden of spending on the district,” Gasaway said.
The Marble Falls Police Department will handle officer recruitment.
“They feel confident that they will be able to recruit someone who is a retired police officer who will be interested in continuing to work but not interested in a 12-month position and could enjoy their summers off,” Gasaway said.