The Round Rock school district is spending $1.7-million of its new budget on a dedicated police department.
Amid the call from activists to defund police departments, the Round Rock school district’s new budget includes $1.7-million for a dedicated police department.
That does not sit well with some educators, like Early College High School teacher Stephanie Martin, who condemned the budgetary allocation. “We are trotting a dark path here,” she continued, “where we are turning our schools into prisons.” She reasoned, “how else could you interpret this except, policing children is more important than caring for children.”
However, the police department accounts for a small fraction of the overall $451-million budget. Supporters for the department say police are still very much needed to quell any violence. The board has vowed to drum up a new plan to increase mental health care and social worker staff.
