Cass County Commission approves contract for School Resource Deputies

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Recent changes to the county’s pay scale and cost-of-living have raised concerns among Central Cass, Kindred, Maple Valley, Mapleton, and Northern Cass school districts. school districts. To address those concerns, Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner motioned for a contract that the county outlined to reduce the financial burden.

“We were trying to find a solution to be able to have our school resource deputy contracts increase more in line with what our rural schools’ yearly budgets increase. And so for us, that ended up being a pay step grade 1 patrol pay at a B 32 level. And that’s more in line with how much the school budget increases every year,” said Sheriff Jesse Jahner.

The county recently approved the decision on the adjustments with the salary at $60,778.12 and benefits at $44,876.91. The school district would be responsible for paying 75%, and the county 25%. All other costs, including uniforms, training, and equipment, would be handled by the sheriff’s department.

“This is a very important relationship between the Cass County government, the sheriff’s office, and our school districts. So all three of us have to work together to kind of come up with what we feel is the most appropriate as far as what the school can afford, what Cass County government can afford, and what the sheriff’s office, through our budget requests and can work with,” said Jahner.

Jahner says the importance of having the school resource deputies is critical for not only the students but the public.

“The rural area poses some challenges in safety because Cass County is a large county, 1,768 square miles. And with 27 rural cities, if we don’t have deputies at those schools, there can be a longer response time to get there if they have an emergency. So, really having those school resource deputies on site really makes a more effective response for us,” said Jahner.

The contracts are being sent to the school districts for final approval.

Once the contract is approved by the school districts, it will take effect for the 2026-2027 school year.