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La Feria ISD is Set to Get Its Own Police Department
- Updated: July 12, 2024
By Mike Villarreal
During a recent school board meeting, La Feria ISD presented a proposed budget of $37 million for the 2024-2025 school year. The budget was approved at a special meeting held by the school board on June 25, 2024.
Under the proposed budget, the district plans to hire a police chief and four police officers. However, the Texas Law Commission on Law Enforcement must approve the district’s application first. Once approved, the district can proceed with the hiring process. School police operations are expected to be up and running by August 12, 2024, the start of the new school year.
To make this possible, the district had to make cuts to afford the proposed police department, which has a startup cost of $500,000. Operating costs were reduced by 5%, and all campus budgets would decrease by 5%. Several teaching positions were cut through attrition. A total of $160,000 was obtained from the school district general fund and the remainder from state and federal funds. The school has already purchased three police vehicles.
As the school district ended its contract with the City of La Feria Police Department, they needed a police force within the district. There’s no better time to have a school police force than now, with gun violence at an all-time high.
With the establishment of its own police force, the La Feria ISD can now ensure a swift and effective response to any security concerns. Once the new officers are trained and stationed at each school, they can guarantee a significantly safer environment for our students and staff, free from the worry of delayed responses or safety issues.
By establishing its own police force, the La Feria ISD is aligning itself with a growing trend in the Rio Grande Valley. More and more school districts, including ours, are choosing to have their own police force, a move that not only ensures the safety of everyone within the school but also allows local police to focus on keeping the wider community safe.
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