DELAND, Fla. – The Volusia County school district said it is moving forward with a plan to add more school resource deputies to middle schools, without the requested financial support of the county government.
But one district official is not letting the matter go without a fight.
Recommended Videos
Chief Financial Officer Todd Seis said in a letter Friday that it would ask for guidance from the school board and the board’s attorney to get a legal opinion from the Florida Attorney General’s office regarding the matter.
“The actions and attitudes of the council reflect a concerning lack of respect and understanding of our shared responsibilities in ensuring children’s safety in the county,” Seis said.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
The announcement came at the end of a long letter where Seis criticized the “disrespect” he says the Volusia County Council showed in making its decision not to help fund the additional deputies, who would be stationed at seven middle schools where there are currently only school guardians.
Currently, the district’s contract and agreement with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office states the district pays 55%, and the county pays 45%.
The district said the schools have had to call for law enforcement a combined 257 times during the first month and a half of this school year.
The district said there used to be deputies at the schools, but they were taken away over the years because of staffing issues.
The county council unanimously agreed that since it already adopted its budget two months ago, it was too late for the district to ask for more.
“We both have budgets, we both just went through a budget season, we both have reserves. I look at this and see this is your jurisdiction,” County Chair Jeff Brower said during a county council meeting earlier this month.
In a statement after the council’s rejection, Brower said the district was asking for what amounted to a bailout.
“It is disappointing and disturbing to know that the school district failed to adequately fund school security. The school district sought to expand their program and asked the Volusia County Council to pay for it at a cost of an additional $342,905 despite their obligation to plan and fund the program and not seek a bail out from the County. They are harboring substantial reserves that could easily cover the costs of this vital service and attempting to divert (their) financial responsibility to another agency is irresponsible and unacceptable,” Brower’s statement said.
In his letter, though, Seis said the county council showed school officials a “surprising level of disrespect and disregard” during the district’s presentation to the council. Further, Seis accused the county attorney of not giving the council a full picture of what the state statute said regarding school safety funding.
“‘A school safety officer’s salary may be paid jointly by the district school board and the law enforcement agency, as mutually agreed to.’ I question why this entire language in the statute was not provided to all council members by their attorney,” Seis said. “Especially, when the safety of our Volusia County children is at stake.”
The sheriff’s office’s budget is funded by the county government.
Seis’ letter also criticized the council for thinking that school safety can be “confined within fiscal calendars or organizational boundaries,” and pointed out that while both governments have reserves, the county has significantly more money in reserves — Seis said the county has about $71.2 million in reserves, while the district has a reserve of $55.7 million.
Vcs Cfo Response by Christie Zizo on Scribd
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: