Williamson County commissioners voted to extend the Round Rock ISD school resource officer, or SRO, contract with the promise not to extend it past the 2021 school year during its Sept. 24 meeting.

In the interlocal agreement, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office would provide 10 SROs for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.

As an amendment to the contract, Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long suggested RRISD also be responsible for an additional $76,000 for year one and $66,000 for year two in reimbursement costs for taking and dispatching calls, access to record management and use of the radio system.

Long said this would be consistent with the county’s approach to similar contracts with other districts and the county’s push toward charging non-county entities for those services.

The SROs will patrol RRISD schools that lay outside the city limits, including two deputies at McNeil High and Westwood High schools each as well as one deputy each at Cedar Valley, Deerpark, Grisham and Walsh Ranch middle schools. There will also be a deputy to serve as a rover and a sergeant to supervise deputies.

RRISD also receives SRO coverage from the Round Rock Police Department.

County Judge Bill Gravell said that while he would vote for the continuation of the contract, he is not in favor of extending the contract any further.

Gravell said the county now staffs more SROs daily than has detectives assigned to sex crimes, crimes against persons and crimes against property.

He added that the district had initially asked for one SRO in the mid-90s. That ask has jumped to 27 with the county only agreeing to provide 10, he said.

If the county provided the 27 SROs, Gravell said the WCSO would have more SROs on duty than deputies patrolling county roads.

“Our relationship has gone from providing one part-time, off-duty deputy to the point where the trustees are offended that the county will not commit to providing 27 deputies,” Gravell said. “This is not how the county is designed to operate.”