A Queen Creek police officer would stay assigned to Casteel High School through June 2027, with Chandler Unified School District picking up the entire $153,000 cost of the officer's pay and benefits, under an agreement on the Town Council's Nov. 18 agenda.
The intergovernmental agreement sits on the consent agenda, the routine items the council approves together in one vote unless a member pulls one out. It runs from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, so it would cover the school year already under way.
Who pays
A town policy adopted in 2023, Resolution 1519-23, requires school districts to reimburse Queen Creek for half of a school resource officer's operating costs and three-quarters of any new capital or one-time costs. Chandler Unified has chosen to pay the full operating cost instead, Police Chief Randy Brice's staff report says.
Much of that money comes from a state School Safety Program grant the district won through the Arizona Department of Education. Because the grant requires specific language in the contract, the town and district sign a fresh agreement for Casteel every year, the report says. No new equipment is needed this time; the officer's vehicle and gear were bought under an earlier agreement.
The position is already in the town's 2026-27 budget. If the council declined the deal, the report says, the officer could be moved to another assignment or kept at the school with no money from the district.
