Waco, Tx (FOX44) – Waco Independent School District trustees will be asked to approve up to $10,000 in bonuses to retain officers in the district’s Police Department.

The item is on the agenda for their Thursday evening board meeting. Information in the packet of material accompanying the agenda states that the district’s police department is struggling to recruit and retain school resource officers. The administration is proposing to use federal money to offer the money to keep the officers.

Retention bonuses would be paid to school resource officers based on length of service or other criteria. The retention bonus is structured in tiered payments – depending on the start date and depending on the officer’s continuous employment on the payout day.

A police officer on board as of August 31, 2021 would receive a total retention bonus amount of $10,000 divided into three payouts – with payout dates of December 2022, December 2023, and September 2024.

An officer hired between September 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022 would receive a total retention bonus amount of $5,000 divided into two equal payouts – with payout dates of December 2023 and September 2024.

A police officer hired between September 1, 2022, and August 31, 2023 would receive a total retention bonus of $2,500 paid out once in September 2024.

The estimated cost of the proposed police officer retention bonuses is $125,000, and impacts an estimated 14 police officers.

The board will meet Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the Waco ISD Conference Center at 115 South 5th Street in Waco.