CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Chesapeake Sheriff's Office is asking Chesapeake City Council to approve a $30,000 emergency appropriation to cover a projected budget shortfall in its School Resource Officer (SRO) program. This request that comes days after a deputy found a loaded gun in a student's backpack at Camelot Elementary School.
The funding request is not related to the Camelot Elementary School incident, nor does it add new positions or expand the program. Instead, it is a budget adjustment needed to cover payroll costs tied to a pay raise given to all public safety employees in January 2026.
As of May 20, 2026, the Sheriff's School Resource Officer Program FY 2026 grant project is projected to have a shortfall of $25,000. The Sheriff's Office is requesting $30,000 to bring the program back on budget and maintain its current level of staffing.
"The Chesapeake Sheriff's Office remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of every student, teacher, and staff member in the schools we serve," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. "This additional funding will allow us to continue the School Resource Deputy Program and maintain a trained law enforcement presence in Chesapeake's elementary, primary, and intermediate schools. SRDs play a vital role in our schools by helping to protect students and staff while ensuring that children's first interaction with law enforcement is a positive one. SRDs also serve as trusted resources for students and staff while remaining prepared to respond quickly in the event of an emergency."
The program is funded through a combination of state grant money and contributions from Chesapeake Public Schools. For the 2025-2026 school year, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services awarded $330,060, with Chesapeake Public Schools providing a required local match of $160,590, for a total of $490,650. The school division also contributed an additional $134,933 toward the local match, bringing the total current revenue budget to $625,583.
Chesapeake Public Schools is responsible for reimbursing the city for the local match and all program-related expenditures that exceed the grant award.
"The requested appropriation would allow the City and school division to meet those existing contractual and payroll obligations and maintain the current level of staffing," Chesapeake Public Schools said in a statement.
The Sheriff's Office and Chesapeake Public Schools partnered for the 2023-2024 school year to place School Resource Deputies in elementary schools, starting with 8 deputies covering all 28 elementary schools. In the 2024-2025 school year, a state grant funded 6 additional deputies, allowing each officer to cover 2 schools instead of 4. During that school year, deputies handled more than 500 incidents directly affecting elementary schools.
For parent Cierra Smith, whose daughter attends Camelot Elementary, the program is essential — especially in light of last week's incident.
"It is important because the officers are needed," Smith said.
Smith said she fully supports the additional funding request.
"I don't see why it would be a no. It's a very big problem right now in the world where children are bringing any type of weapons–it could've been a knife or anything– you don't know what they we're gonna do with it," Smith said.
Smith said the funding would go toward continuing to keep students like her daughter safe.
"I guess it would—the extra funding— would go to them and whatever resources they have to keep the children safe. Student safety is a priority to me because I work with other people's children so I keep them safe, and I want, you know, whoever is teaching or the administration at my daughter's school to keep her safe as well," Smith said.
The emergency appropriation request is on the Chesapeake City Council agenda for the June 9, 2026 meeting and is described as consistent with the council's strategic anchor for financial sustainability.
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