Bladen County Schools seeks nearly $600K more from county for school resource officers

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Bladen County Schools is asking county commissioners for nearly $600,000 in additional funding to help maintain school resource officer coverage during the 2026-27 school year.

The district is requesting an additional $592,347.88 from the Bladen County Board of Commissioners as it projects the total cost of SRO coverage will reach more than $1.2 million next school year.

The request comes after the Bladen County Board of Education considered an SRO funding proposal during its Sept. 21 meeting. Under that proposal, the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office would have funded one SRO position, while the school district would have been responsible for funding the remaining 10 positions.

No motion was made on the proposal, and it did not pass.

Bladen County Schools said the board’s action should not be interpreted as opposition to SROs. The district said it considers the officers an essential part of its school safety strategy but is concerned about the financial impact of taking responsibility for 10 positions.

For the 2026-27 school year, the district estimates SRO coverage will cost $1,245,332.88. Bladen County currently provides $316,985 annually for SROs, while the district anticipates receiving another $336,000 through the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools.

That would leave Bladen County Schools responsible for an estimated $592,347.88, the amount it is now asking commissioners to provide.

The district said its 2026-27 estimate assumes a 32% increase over the current school year’s costs, consistent with the increase it experienced between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
SRO costs have increased in recent years while the county’s annual contribution has remained at $316,985, according to figures provided by the district.

Total SRO costs were approximately $672,474 during the 2022-23 school year and are budgeted at $943,434 for 2025-26. The school district’s share increased from about $91,489 in 2022-23 to $362,449 for the current school year.

Those figures do not include special events and extra-duty assignments, which cost an additional $23,296.48 during the 2025-26 school year, according to the district.

Bladen County Schools received $336,000 in state SRO grant funding for 2026-27, up from $264,000 in each of the previous two school years.

Superintendent Dr. Jason Atkinson said the district wants to continue working with county and state leaders and the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office to fund the program.

“Our schools need and value the presence of School Resource Officers, and we are committed to doing everything we can to maintain that presence,” Atkinson said. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of public funds.”

The district said it is seeking a long-term funding structure that will allow it to maintain SRO coverage while addressing the program’s rising costs.