Officers to return to Palm Springs & Desert Hot Springs high schools as PSUSD board approves new contract

The Palm Springs Unified School District board of education unanimously approved new SRO contracts for Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs high schools.

The Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs city councils for both cities approved new contracts with the district during meetings earlier this month. Both cities included new amendments in the contracts.

Palm Springs added an amendment that the PSUSD does not use LCAP funding to pay for the officer.

LCAP, or Local Control Accountability Plan, is a fund that is designed to increase or improve support services for low-income, English learner, and foster youth students.

The Palm Springs City Council instead voted for the city to cover $100,000 of the cost of the officer so that the LCAP funding is used to help the city's students in need.

The Palm Springs SRO contract will cost the district $82,209.02

Desert Hot Springs' amendment removed some of the language from the short-term hybrid contract, with the error revolving around the number of months the officer would be on campus. The error was corrected prior to the Desert Hot Springs City Council's approval.

The Desert Hot Springs SRO contract will cost the district no more than $112,234.20

With these two contracts approved, PSUSD now has SROs back on every high school campus as earlier this month the board approved contracts for Cathedral City and Rancho Mirage high schools.

The starting date differs per school, as some still need to undergo the required training before being back on campus.