TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The state’s new school safety law requires all public schools to have at least one school resource officer.
Now one of the state’s largest charter school operators is asking 13 school districts to pay for security guards in their schools, but school districts say they’re struggling to meet the requirements for their own schools.
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About 2,000 Florida schools were lacking a school resource officer when a gunman opened fire at a South Florida school and killed 17 students and adults.
To get every school on the same page, the state allocated $97.5 million to hire more security.
But now Charter USA, one of the state’s largest charter school operators, is asking districts to pay for security for charter schools as well.
The request for armed resource officers was made to the 13 school districts where the company’s schools are located.
Rock Hanna, superintendent for Leon County Schools, rejected Charter USA’s request.
“It's incumbent upon them to make their budgets work, just like we do,” Hanna said.
He said his district is struggling as it is to make sure its traditional public schools meet the one resource officer per-school requirement now mandated by Florida law.
“We're looking at having to come out of the general fund up to a million dollars to meet this mandate,” Hanna said.
The Florida School Boards Association said it’s the same around the state.
“Those extra dollars just don't exist, so how they are going to get to that point is really the challenge that school districts and charter agencies are having to face,” said Andrea Messina, executive director with the FSBA.
The state funding is expected to cover 647 new officers. That still leaves more than 300 schools without an officer.
Charter USA said the school safety legislation specifically allows public charter school students the same protections available to district public school students.
Gov. Rick Scott says there is funding included for charters in the new law.
“You know charter schools are public schools. All schools are covered by that bill,” Scott said.
Some of the 13 school districts have yet to respond, but most if not all, are expected to reject Charter USA’s request.
The funding for increased school safety won't become available until this summer. Charter USA requested the money from districts by April 1.