XENIA — The city recently authorized the execution of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Xenia Community Schools, the Greene County Career Center, and a multi-party MOU with Legacy Christian Academy, St. Brigid School, and Summit Academy Community School for the provision of school resource officers (SROs).
The Xenia Police Division requested that council provide SRO services to all of the schools in the XCS district according to council records. The proposed pay plan — 60 percent from the school and 40 percent from the city — for each SRO takes into consideration the amount of time the SRO spends in the school each day with the average school year of 1,440 hours.
Having the schools pay 60 percent of the salaries provides the city the flexibility to bring the SROs out of the school to necessary situations while placing the primary cost of the SROs on the schools, according to city officials.
XCS’ current MOU does not expire until July 31, 2024, however, XCS wishes to add more SROs beginning the second half the 2023-24 school year. The new 2 1/2 year MOU will become effective on Jan. 8, 2024, and run until July 31, 2026.
It will keep one SRO at the high school, one at the middle school, and beginning the second half of the school year, will add two to rotate between the five grade schools and pre-school. Any additional SROs requested during the MOU period would be at 100 percent cost to XCS.
A 2 1/2 year MOU with Legacy Christian Academy, St. Brigid School, and Summit Academy Community School became effective on Jan. 8, 2023, and will run until July 31, 2026. It will provide one SRO to rotate between the three schools. Each school will be responsible for 20 percent of the officer’s salary.
The 2024 salary budget, with an estimated increase of 3 percent, will cost the city $841,543.94 for six full-time sworn officers. The multi-year MOUs requiring the schools to pay 60 percent of the sworn SROs salaries will cost the schools $504,926.36 and the city $336,617.57, saving the city $504,926.36 per year.
Reach Karen Rase at 937-502-4534.
