The Barrow County Government will be withdrawing funding for 12 of the 24 School Resource Officers within the Barrow County School System.
Since 1997, the school system and the county have split the costs of SROs within the district. Under a 2017 Intergovernmental Agreement, the two entities have shared the salaries and benefits for 12 SRO’s, with four additional officers that were added to the system over time.
As of the 2024-25 school year, the county and system both funded the salaries of 16 SROs. Following the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School last September, an additional eight positions were approved, which the district has been working to fill since.
A letter to Superintendent Dr. Dallas Leduff from County Manager Srikanth Yamala from May 25 of this year said that beginning July 1, 2025, BCSS will be responsible in-full for all costs associated with the new SROs in addition to its share of the split cost for the original 12 officers.
Barrow County Public Information Officer Brian Stewart explained the reason for the change.
“With the approval by voters of a school tax exemption for senior citizens in Barrow County, it is imperative that Barrow County Government ensure that no county general fund dollars — for which there is no senior exemption — are dedicated to areas that would otherwise be funded by school taxes and the associated millage rate,” Stewart said in a statement. “The Barrow County Board of Commissioners is committed to providing effective and efficient emergency services countywide while maintaining the careful balance of appropriately allocating citizens’ tax dollars for the betterment of every Barrow County citizen.”
LeDuff and the Barrow County Board of Education responded to the letter, requesting that Barrow County adjust its millage rate to help offset the increase in the millage rate for the school system that would be needed in order to fund the additional officers.
Barrow Board of Education Chairwoman Lisa Maloof said during the board's Tuesday meeting that the system will not reduce the number of SROs within the district.
“As a governing body, we want to make it very clear that we are fully committed to maintaining our SRO program and ensuring the safety of our students, staff and our teachers,” Maloof said. “The recent communication from the county has been unfortunate, and it has caused some unnecessary concern and uncertainty within our community. A more productive approach would have been for us to have a discussion related to the SRO salaries, benefits and associated expenses, rather than creating doubt about the program's future.”
A tentative FY 2026 budget was also presented before the board. The budget would be $226 million, which includes a one-time $1,000 bonus for all BCSS staff members The money for the bonus would be pulled from the system’s previously existing fund balance.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Jennifer Houseton said during the meeting that should the county move forward with its plan to only contribute to the salaries of 12 SROs, the system would be responsible for $1,932,000 in funding for costs associated with the officers. The current budget allocates $1,142,000 for the officers. Houston said the system would plan to create a budget amendment for $867,000. There would also be three budget hearings prior to board approval.
If the budget were to be approved, the school system would increase the millage rate by .195 mills. The previous millage rate was 15.5 mills. The budget proposed prior to the decision from Barrow County did not raise the rate. No official decision was made by the board on Tuesday.
During the Tuesday night meeting, District 5 representative Jared Callaway noted that the Barrow County Board of Commissioners currently receives 2.5% of the BCSS tax revenue. A suggestion to explore reducing that rate to avoid an increased millage rate was explored, but no official action was taken.
The Barrow County government has a similar funding agreement with Bethlehem Christian Academy for an SRO on its campus. No details have been provided as to whether or not there will be changes to that agreement.
