Morgan County school resource officers are getting a pay raise starting Saturday.
The sheriff's office says only six out of 14 schools in Morgan County have school resource officers, so they hope the increase in salary will encourage more retired sheriff's officers to work at schools.
Officials say SROs are funded by the sheriff's office and the district, and this year, they will be making about $1,000 more.
"I think it's absolutely necessary, because that will put more emphasis on them doing better by being SROs in schools," said a Morgan County Schools grandparent, Bruce Davis.
"I think they deserve a pay raise. I mean, they put their life on the line everyday to protect all of us at school," said a Priceville High School student, Tristan Strickland.
Parents and students in Morgan County say it's important for school resource officers to be well paid.
"It's a blessing. If we wouldn't have SROs and the police department, we wouldn't know where we'd be," said Davis.
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office says the state decided to raise the pay this year.
"It was originally $31,000. This last year, they increased it to $32,000," said Mike Swafford with the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff's office officials hope the increase will attract more school resource officers.
"This is one way to stay competitive and also reward the ones we have," said Swafford.
Bruce Davis says with SROs in schools, he feels more comfortable dropping off his grandchild.
"It will ultimately protect the children in our area and provide better means for them to have a better education and feel safe doing so," said Davis.
Strickland agrees.
"You're not afraid to come to school because you know there is someone there to protect you even if something were to happen," said Strickland.
The sheriff's office says each year, their pay is reevaluated, so they hope it will continue to increase.
If you're a retired officer and you're interested in becoming a school resource officer, you can reach out to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.
