SRO Funding Protection Act of 2025

This bill would make states keep their own spending on school resource officer (SRO) programs at steady levels if they want to receive their full federal K–12 education funds. Starting the first fiscal year after it becomes law, a state must fund SRO programs at least as much as the higher of: what it spent in the last year it followed these rules (or didn’t have a waiver), or its average spending over the past five years. States must file a yearly public report showing how much they spent on SRO programs and how many SROs work in their schools.

If a state doesn’t meet the requirement and doesn’t get a waiver, the next year’s federal education funds would be reduced in proportion to how much the state fell short. Waivers can be granted for major financial hardships, like a severe economic downturn or a natural disaster. The bill uses the existing federal definition of “school resource officer” from current law.

• Who is affected: State education agencies and the public schools they serve; communities with SRO programs.
• What changes: Keep SRO funding at or above the higher of the last compliant year or five-year average; file annual public reports on spending and SRO counts; risk proportional cuts to federal funds if not compliant; waivers allowed for extraordinary financial problems .
• When: Begins with the first fiscal year after the bill becomes law.