The board of trustees approved Rogers' hiring as the district’s executive director of safety and security at a May 9 meeting. Rogers will transition into the role of police chief once the district receives state approval to launch the department, according to district information.
What you need to know
Rogers has worked for Houston ISD’s police department as the assistant chief of police since 2018, and as a criminal investigator and campus police officer, according to district information. She was previously a patrol deputy for the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office and Brazos County Sheriff's Department in Bryan. Before joining law enforcement, Rogers worked as a nurse for over 10 years.
“I am excited and honored to join the LISD community and look forward to fostering positive relationships, and creating a safe and nurturing environment for our students, staff and community,” Rogers said in a district news release.
How we got here
The district has been working to form its own police force for several months in response to a new state law. House Bill 3 has required school districts to have an armed security guard on every campus since Sept. 1.
The board claimed a good cause exception to the law on Sept. 7 as it was unable to meet its requirements due to a lack of personnel and funding. On Nov. 30, the board approved creating a police department and amending its fiscal year 2023-24 budget by $1.1 million to cover the department's first phase, including a police chief, an assistant police chief, 10 school marshals and an administrative assistant plus additional costs.
With a plan to hire 67 total officers, the entire department is expected to take multiple years and millions of dollars to create, officials said.
Stay tuned
In December, district officials told Community Impact LISD hoped to receive approval from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to launch the department by summer, and place officers and school marshals at some campuses in the fall.
Chief Financial Officer Pete Pape recently told Community Impact the district hopes to begin hiring officers in late fall or early spring. In a recent budget update, Pape said LISD will transfer the $1.1 million in approved funding for the department this fiscal year to FY 2024-25.
