Following this week’s Wisconsin school shooting tragedy, the city of Apopka is asking Orange County Public Schools to reconsider its pending negotiations for School Resource Officers (SROs) on several OCPS campuses in municipalities, including Apopka.
OCPS currently has a one-year contract with the law enforcement agencies in Apopka, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Winter Park, and Windermere, which secures SROs on campuses for the 2024-25 school year in compliance with the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.
The district has a three-year contract with the remaining four agencies: Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orlando Police Department, Maitland Police Department, and Eatonville Police Department.
The Orange County School Board conducted a Tuesday, December 10 work session to discuss the possible use of school guardians on campuses located in the five municipalities. The board provided direction for staff to continue contract negotiations on January 14, 2025, with the hopes that a deal can be reached to maintain SROs on the 30 school campuses served by the five municipalities.
If an agreement cannot be reached, the Guardian Program is the only option allowed by Florida law to provide the added security to school campuses, according to OCPS in a news release earlier this month.
The December 17 OCPS email was drafted and scheduled for sending before the tragedy in Madison, Wis., according to OCPS spokesman Michael Ollendorff. On Monday, December 16, a 15-year-old girl at Abundant Life Christian School shot and killed a teacher and a student as well as wounded six others before shooting herself.
“The district has NOT been able to reach a multi-year agreement with them for SRO coverage of the schools within their jurisdiction,” the OCPS email states. “The School Board strongly believes the safest option is for our law enforcement partners to provide SRO coverage on all school campuses. OCPS values its long-standing partnership with our local law enforcement agencies and appreciates the work they do to keep our schools and communities safe.”
For the current school year, OCPS offered all municipalities a 20 percent increase from last year’s reimbursement rate and proposed a $75,000 rate for the 2026-27 year — a 25 percent increase from the 2023-24 year, according to an email OCPS sent out to district families on Tuesday, December 17. The district-proposed SRO reimbursement increase far exceeded the 11 percent salary increase given to OCPS teachers and support staff over the last two years.
Four of the nine law enforcement partners have agreed to a three-year contract, but the five listed municipalities have not agreed to a contract beyond the current school year, according to the OCPS email.
“This year, OCPS is currently spending nearly $17 million more than it received from the State of Florida for the safety and security program. District leadership does not anticipate any significant increase in the allocation from the State of Florida to cover the additional $2 million needed to meet the funding demands of the five cities. Financial limitations have forced the district to look at other options. OCPS will continue to seek a multi-year agreement with the five cities and their local law enforcement agencies to avoid implementing the School Guardian Program in place of SROs in the 30 schools impacted,” the email states.
The email advised families to reach out to their local elected officials and law enforcement chiefs to address any concerns.
“Orange County Public Schools understands the financial challenges the cities are facing, but there is simply not enough funds in the State’s Safe School allocation to give more to the local jurisdictions without impacting the classroom,” the email concluded.
The SRO negotiations could impact the following Apopka schools: Apopka High, Apopka Memorial and Wolf Lake middle schools, Kelly Park School, Dream Lake, Apopka, Lakeville, Rock Springs, and Wolf Lake elementary schools.
APD statement
In response to OCPS’ email about the SRO negotiations, the Apopka Police Department released its statement the same day, calling the timing of when OCPS sent out its email as “disingenuous to both our communities and agencies.”
The following is the full statement from APD:
The law enforcement agencies engaged in school resource officer (SRO) contract negotiations with Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) are disappointed by the email sent to parents following a horrific tragedy that occurred in another state. We find this action disingenuous to both our communities and agencies. Exploiting such a tragedy in an attempt to garner support during contract negotiations is un- acceptable and shifts focus away from what truly matters: the safety and well-being of our students.
The agencies participating in these negotiations have always been committed to beginning discussions with OCPS in January 2025. However, due to recent developments, we feel it is necessary to address several key points raised during the OCPS workshop on December 10, 2024, as well as the misleading email sent to parents.
First and foremost, it is important to clarify that no law enforcement agency involved in these negotiations has ever suggested or expressed a desire to remove SROs from schools, the discussions to replace SROs with a Guardian program lies solely on Orange County Public Schools. Our unwavering commitment to student and community safety remains paramount. The purpose of these negotiations is to secure fair compensation for the critical services our officers provide to OCPS schools.
While we understand the financial challenges OCPS faces, our agencies are also contending with significant fiscal pressures. These include difficulties in recruiting personnel and ensuring adequate equipment to meet the growing demands of our cities. Addressing these financial challenges through appropriate funding is essential to sustaining the high level of service we provide.
At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, our agencies did not have an agreed-upon contract with OCPS, yet we never threatened or even considered withdrawing SROs from schools. Currently, all agencies are operating under one-year agreements and are committed to meeting in January to negotiate terms for the 2025-2026 school year. OCPS continues to push for a three-year agreement and chose to begin a public campaign implying a lack of cooperation on the part of the cities before the negotiations have even begun. We question the necessity of such a long-term arrangement. A one-year agreement allows for annual reassessments to address changing costs and avoid significant financial challenges that can arise from prolonged contracts. This approach is practical, fair, and beneficial to both OCPS and law enforcement agencies.
During the previous three-year agreement, agency costs rose by approximately 45%, while OCPS offered only a 20% increase in reimbursement. Entering into another three-year contract under similar terms would only exacerbate the financial strain, making future negotiations even more difficult. A one-year agreement provides the flexibility to address financial realities on an ongoing basis, ensuring long-term sustainability and fairness for all parties. While OCPS offered a 20% increase for year one and a 2% increase for year 2 of the 3-year contract, the increases are based on contract numbers and not based on the agencies actual costs for an officer. The reimbursement helps offset some of the basic salary costs for each officer however it does not address any of the rising costs of healthcare, benefits, pension, overtime, and equipment. In addition to the basic costs, which are not covered by the OCPS contract, each law enforcement agency spends a significant amount of additional time and resources completing criminal investigations as well as active threat investigations in the schools despite the fact that OCPS funds their own Police Department.
We want to emphasize, once again, that our priority has always been, and will always remain, the safety of our students and our community. This has never been about money. It is about securing the resources necessary to continue providing the high standard of safety and service that our schools de- serve.
We are simply asking OCPS to adequately fund SRO programs to ensure their sustainability. Proper funding is essential to maintaining these programs at the level our communities expect and deserve, preventing any need for alternative, less effective solutions in our schools.
Even after these recent events by OCPS to pressure our communities, the law enforcement agencies and our elected officials into accepting their offer, we remain committed to working collaboratively with OCPS to resolve these issues and to keep our students safe.
The Apopka Chief and The Planter are weekly community newspapers, independently owned and family operated, that have served the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923 and 1965 respectively.
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