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NEDERLAND — Collaboration between City of Nederland and the Nederland Independent School District will allow for all schools in the district to have a school resource officer.

Currently there is an SRO at the high school and at the two middle schools. The Nederland Police Department is looking to hire four more officers and with the collaboration, move officers so there will be one SRO at each of the elementary campuses, Chief Gary Porter said.

“This will put an SRO in every school in the district,” Porter said.

He credited the city council and the school board for a joint vision for school security to have a police officer in a leadership role.

This will allow the students to get to know the officers and possibly stop any problems students may have before they reach middle school.

Porter said some students do not have people in leadership roles at home and hopefully they will see this with the SRO.

Nederland City Manager Chris Duque said the city approved the Memorandum of Understanding with NISD in May.

Duque said the city has had success in recent years hiring cadets to complete the local police academy. The hope is to have four graduating cadets this fall or early winter who will then move into field training.

By summer 2024, Porter would assign four officers to the school resource officer assignment, Duque said.

There is a cost-sharing component to the agreement. The city would provide 100 percent of the cost of the officers for Aug. 1, 2023. to July 31, 2024, and again from Aug. 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.

After that the cost is split:

• Aug. 1, 2025- July 31, 2025 — The city pays 79 percent and NISD pays 21 percent
• Aug. 1, 2026- July 31, 2027 — The city and NISD each pay 50 percent
• Aug. 1, 2027- July 31, 2028 — The city pays 21 percent and NISD pays 79 percent

Subsequent years — The city pays 21 percent and NISD pays 79 percent

Duque sad the currant three SROs are paid 21 percent by the city and 79 percent by NISD and the city made changes to the funding formula for the four new positions.

Nederland ISD Superintendent Dr. Stuart Kieschnick explained HB3 passed the legislature last week, which mandates at least one armed security person in every school starting with the upcoming school year.

The district is working on a plan since the SROs will not be in place for the start of this school year.

Kieschnick said the armed security person does not have to be a police officer and can be a security guard.

Kieschnick said the district is pleased with the collaboration and called it a win for the district city.

He believes having the SRO on the campuses will benefit students.