GEORGETOWN, Del. - The Indian River Board of Education is weighing whether to fund school resource officers from the Georgetown, Millsboro, Selbyville, and Ocean View Police Departments, as the $294,480 annual cost remains a concern heading into the 2025–2026 school year.
These officers, commonly referred to as SROs, have been partially funded by the district in past years. Without that funding, the towns involved would need to find new options or potentially pull their officers from schools altogether.
The purpose of SROs is to enhance campus safety and build relationships within schools. At a meeting on May 19, the board voted to fund three Delaware State Police SROs for the upcoming school year but chose not to take action, at this time, on funding proposals from the four municipal departments.
If no further action is taken, the number of school resource officers will drop from seven to three, all Delaware State Police troopers. One will be assigned to Indian River High School, and two others will be stationed at the Sussex Central High School and Sussex Central Middle School complex. According to the district, those troopers will also respond to incidents at other schools within their coverage areas.
Even if the proposed cuts go into effect, every school in the district will continue to have at least one armed constable, typically a retired law enforcement officer, responsible for monitoring and securing campuses before, during and after the school day. The constable program is budgeted at nearly $1.3 million for the 2025–2026 year.
The district says it has also made physical security upgrades, including secure entry vestibules, additional security cameras and weapons detection systems.
In a statement to CoastTV News, the district said: "The Indian River School District is committed to providing a safe learning environment for students and staff as evidenced by the funding of the school constable program, which has been in place since 2013. Despite the current budget constraints, safety remains our top priority and we will continue to make our school campuses a secure and welcoming environment for the entire community."
While the board did not approve municipal SRO funding at this time, the Georgetown Police Department has decided to move forward with its program independently.
Officer Ashley Melis serves as Georgetown’s school resource officer. She covers Georgetown Elementary, North Georgetown Elementary and Georgetown Middle School.
"It’s immeasurable, the benefits that, of us having our own school resource officer,” said Georgetown Police Chief Ralph Holm. "Despite the fact that we have vacancies on patrol right now, I feel so passionate about it that we are going to continue to have a school resource officer in the schools of Georgetown and that is assigned to the Georgetown Police Department."
Holm said that while he has led the department, they have consistently requested $82,000 from the district and have never asked for more.
"Every year, with inflation and other things, pay raises, we are absorbing more and more of the cost to show that we're a good partner," he said. "Right now, with the cost of uniforms and the cars and everything else, that $82,000 probably represents about 50 percent of what that officer costs."
He added that while donations aren’t necessary, the department is open to them.
"If someone feels compelled to offer a donation to help support that, we'll make sure that that money is specifically earmarked for the school resource officer," Holm said.
Holm also made clear that if the board revisits the proposals, Georgetown would welcome future district support.
Georgetown Police say they are prepared to begin the school year with an $82,000 deficit if district funding is not restored.
"The benefits of having an officer in there, knowing the kids, knowing the staff, knowing the layout, having full understanding of how that school operates, is well beyond the inconvenience of the money for us," Holm said.
For Holm, this decision was a "no-brainer."
Still, some parents in the district worry the absence of familiar officers could leave a gap in school communities.
"It’s a really important relationship that I think the kids will really miss if they don’t have that," said Sarah Schaber, a parent in the district.
The Millsboro Police Department told CoastTV News they are waiting to meet with the school district before making a decision. The Ocean View Police Department said they are waiting to see what happens with Thursday’s current expense referendum.
CoastTV News asked the Indian River School District if proposals from local departments would be reconsidered if the referendum passes, but did not receive a response.