DOA:......Kretschmann, BB0564 - MPS School Resource Officers
For 2025-2027 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
An Act ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
EDUCATION
Primary and secondary education
Costs of placing school resource officers in MPS schools
Current law requires the school board of a first class city school district (currently only Milwaukee Public Schools) to ensure that at least 25 school resource officers are present at schools within the school district during normal school hours and that school resource officers are available, as needed, during before-school and after-school care, extracurricular activities, and sporting events (SRO requirement). Under current law, a “school resource officer” is a law enforcement officer who is deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned by the law enforcement agency that employs him or her to work in a full-time capacity in collaboration with a school district. Current law also requires MPS and the City of Milwaukee to agree on how to apportion the costs of meeting the SRO requirement between the two entities. Under this bill, MPS and the City of Milwaukee must apportion the costs of meeting the SRO requirement as follows:
1. For school days, the greater of 25 percent of the costs or $400,000, as indexed to inflation, to MPS and the remainder to the City of Milwaukee.
2. For nonschool days, 100 percent to the City of Milwaukee.
Under the bill, “school day” means 1) a day on which school is actually taught and 2) a day on which school is not taught because school is closed due to inclement weather, parent-teacher conferences, an order of a local health officer or DHS, or a threat to the health or safety of pupils or school personnel.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. 62.90 (8) of the statutes is renumbered 62.90 (8) (b) and amended to read:
62.90 (8) (b) Beginning January 1, 2024, the school board of the 1st class city school district that is located in the 1st class city shall ensure that not fewer than 25 school resource officers are present at schools within the school district during normal school hours and that school resource officers are available during before-school and after-school care, extracurricular activities, and sporting events as needed. In addition, beginning January 1, 2024, the school board of the 1st class city school district that is located in the 1st class city shall ensure that the school resource officers complete the 40-hour course sponsored by the National Association of School Resource Officers. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the school board of the 1st class city school district that is located in the 1st class city shall consider the statistics it receives under s. 118.124 (3) (a) when deciding at which schools to place school resource officers required under this subsection.
(c) 1. The 1st class city school district and the 1st class city shall agree to an apportionment of apportion the costs of meeting the requirements of this subsection. as follows:
(a) In this subsection, “law:
1. “Law enforcement officer” means a person who is employed by the state or a political subdivision of the state for the purpose of detecting and preventing crime and enforcing laws or ordinances and who is authorized to make arrests for violations of the laws or ordinances that the person is employed to enforce, and “school.
3. “School resource officer” means a law enforcement officer who is deployed in community-oriented policing and assigned by the law enforcement agency, as defined in s. 165.83 (1) (b), that employs him or her to work in a full-time capacity in collaboration with a school district.
Section 2. 62.90 (8) (a) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
62.90 (8) (a) 2. “School day” has the meaning given in s. 115.01 (10).
Section 3. 62.90 (8) (c) 1. a. of the statutes is created to read:
62.90 (8) (c) 1. a. For the costs of meeting the requirements of this subsection on school days, to the 1st class city school district 25 percent of the costs or $400,000, whichever is greater, and the remainder to the 1st class city. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, the maximum amount that may be apportioned to the 1st class city school district is $400,000.
Section 4. 62.90 (8) (c) 1. b. of the statutes is created to read:
62.90 (8) (c) 1. b. For the costs of meeting the requirements of this subsection on days other than school days, 100 percent of the costs to the 1st class city.
Section 5. 62.90 (8) (c) 2. of the statutes is created to read:
62.90 (8) (c) 2. For school years beginning after July 1, 2027, the maximum dollar amount apportioned to the 1st class city school district under subd. 1. a. shall be increased each year by a percentage equal to the percentage change between the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, for the month of August of the previous year and the U.S. consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. city average, for the month of August 2025, as determined by the federal department of labor.
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