When Irving City Council renewed its school resource officer agreements with Irving ISD and increased the district's cost-share, it highlighted a funding structure that plays out in nearly every North Texas school district. Here's how SRO programs actually work, who pays for them, and what state law requires.
What Is a School Resource Officer?
A school resource officer (SRO) is a commissioned, sworn police officer assigned to work on a school campus, typically through a formal agreement between a school district and a local police department. Texas Education Code Section 37.081 authorizes school district boards of trustees to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a local law enforcement agency for this purpose, or to commission their own peace officers directly through a school district police department.
Why Nearly Every District Has SROs Now
Following passage of Texas House Bill 3 in 2023, state law generally requires an armed security presence on every campus. Districts that can't staff a sworn SRO at every school must file a "good cause exception" with the Texas Education Agency and typically fill the gap with alternatives, such as commissioned school district police officers or trained staff participating in "Guardian" programs, which allow specific school employees to carry concealed handguns to respond to an active-shooter threat.
How SRO Programs Are Funded
Most SRO programs in North Texas are jointly funded by the city and the school district under an interlocal agreement. State law requires this cost-sharing arrangement to use a "proportionate cost allocation methodology," meaning the city can recoup its direct costs for providing the officers, but cannot profit from the contract. In practice, this usually means salary and benefits for assigned officers are split between the police department's budget and the district's budget, with the exact ratio negotiated and periodically renewed — which is why cost-share increases, like the one Irving's council recently approved, come up for public discussion.
What SROs Actually Do
SRO programs across DFW departments, including longstanding programs in Garland and other nearby cities, are generally built around what's known as the "triad concept": the officer functions as an educator, an informal counselor, and a law enforcement officer. SROs are not school disciplinarians — that responsibility remains with school administrators — but they respond when an actual law is broken on campus, work with principals on safety planning, and often lead age-appropriate presentations on topics like drug and alcohol awareness.
Who Oversees These Programs
The Texas Education Agency conducts intruder detection audits at districts statewide, where inspectors attempt to test campus entry procedures and publish an annual school safety and security report. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) sets training and certification standards for officers serving in these roles.
What This Means for Local Families
When a city council renews or expands an SRO agreement, as Irving's did, the practical effect for parents is continuity: the same officers (or officer positions) remain assigned to campuses, and the cost-share change reflects rising personnel costs rather than a shift in how many officers are on campus. Parents with questions about their specific school's coverage can typically find campus-level safety and security details published in the district's TEA-required annual safety report.
This article summarizes general Texas school safety law and local funding structure. For specifics about your child's campus, contact your school district directly.
