Funding for a guardian program authorized by Florida’s new school safety law remains among the most controversial aspects of the legislation, but districts around the state have chosen to implement measures in very different ways. Sarasota County will institute a new police force dedicated to schools. Manatee County will supplement sheriff’s deputies with private security officers. While the passed bill would allow districts to let existing personnel carry weapons and act as guardians in addition to their existing duties, neither school system in the Sarasota-Bradenton area has chosen to go that route at most schools. “We always try to give local governments as much control as possible,” says state Rep. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota. “What's good for Sarasota is not always what’s right for Manatee, and that may not be the best for Hardee County.”

In Manatee, officials appear poised to supplement their own hired security in addition to an existing force of student resource officers hired through the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. When the new school year begins, the district will keep 32 sworn officers employed at a cost of $2 million, then hire another 28 guardians for an additional $1.3 million. With the state kicking in $2.2 million, that leaves $1.2 million for the district to cover in other ways, says district spokesman Mike Barber. “It’s unfortunate we’ve been painted into this corner by an underfunded mandate of the legislature,” says Charlie Kennedy, Manatee County School Board member. “We don’t have the money for full-time licensed law enforcement, so we have to go this guardian route.” School Board Chairman Scott Hopes still would like to see funding provided to hire more sheriff’s deputies and police officers to provide the security. “I expect us to be improving the plan and job descriptions,” Hopes says, noting the district will ultimately have a dedicated staff person just overseeing security.

In Sarasota County, leaders have opted to establish their own police force. While the district now works with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and local police, that would change once a dedicated agency for school security launches. Disagreements between school administration and police leadership made headlines over recent months, but, ultimately, Sarasota County School Board Member Shirley Brown says the district needs control over those officers dedicated to protecting campuses. “If we are going to pay 100 percent of costs but have no input on who would be there and who they answer too, why not just hire them ourselves?” Brown says. That way the district will make decisions down to what equipment officers use on campus. But the option could prove costly, much more than the $2.4 million coming to Sarasota from the state. School Board member Eric Robinson worries about the cost and time to implement a force, and he’d rather extend work with existing police agencies. “We are really good at training educators,” Robinson says. “Historically we have gone to the Sheriff’s Office because they're really good at providing security.” Gruters likewise dubbed the school force a “Cadillac plan.”

Gruters notes districts like Hillsborough and Polk have done revenue-neutral plans that incorporate the guardian program to arm non-essential personnel already on campuses, but neither local district favors that. Barber says existing personnel already have full-time jobs that demand their focus. Kennedy, for his part, says he was relieved guardian funding would be available even without arming personnel.