AISD to double police force, spend extra $6M to comply with new Texas school security law

The Austin school district is readying to hire 75 new officers — nearly doubling its police force — which is expected to cost $5.8 million, to comply with a new Texas law that requires an armed officer or employee at every public school campus.

Austin is one of several school districts in Central Texas hiring more school resource officers ahead of the new academic year as part of House Bill 3, a $330 million school safety law meant to make campuses more secure.

The district plans to hire about 75 new officers, though the total tally could change based on the nine-member school board that will decide minimum staffing numbers for each campus, according to Jacob Reach, the district's governmental relations and board services director.

The district currently has 80 officers, some of whom are assigned to specific schools, patrol campuses and district buildings within a certain area, or serve as trainers, detectives or supervisors, Reach said.

HB 3, the school safety bill the Legislature passed this spring, is set to take effect Sept. 1. Along with other reporting and security requirements, the law mandates one armed officer on every campus, with some room for exceptions.

Lawmakers passed the law partly in response to the May 24, 2022, mass shooting at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Austin officials estimate HB 3 will allocate about $1.9 million in addition to the $600,000 the district already gets from the state in security funding. The law slightly increases the per student security allotment and gives districts a $15,000 boost per campus.

Because the district pays school resource officers about $77,000 annually, officials estimate it will cost an additional $5.8 million annually to maintain the bigger force. The district plans to pull that money from its fund balance this year, Reach said.

In addition to security duties, Reach said the resource officers will engage and build trust with the school communities.

“We expect them to be making relationships with families because we know that's one of the strategies that's successful in making sure we have a safe and secure school,” Reach said.

The Austin district is just one of many in the area hiring officers to comply with the new state law.

Del Valle schools plan to spend $1.1 million to hire 10 new employees, which will also nearly double its security staff.

Earlier this month, the Eanes school district announced it would hire nine new officers and spend $1.6 million to create a new school police department. District officials said they’d planned on creating the force before the Legislature passed HB 3.

School districts are also preparing for other reporting requirements in HB 3 and security laws passed this year, such as one that requires silent panic alert technology in all classrooms, Reach said.

“For the most part, we just want to be quick with our recruitment efforts knowing lots of other districts are going to be looking for officers,” Reach said.

HB 3 allows some exceptions for districts who can’t fulfill the officer requirements because of funding or staffing issues.

The ultimate decision about how to comply with the law and how many officers to hire will be up to the board members, Reach said.

The Austin school board is scheduled to meet Aug. 10, when members will discuss how to comply with the law, he said.

The district is also interested in eventually creating pathways and programs to hire Austin graduates interested in law enforcement, Reach said.