(ABC 6 News) — Byron School District budget shortfalls nearly led to the district’s school resource officer position being cut, but the city and Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office were able to create a plan to save the position.

The City of Byron and OCSO will split the school’s portion of the bill for 2024 and 2025 as the school works out its budge shortfalls.

Sheriff Kevin Torgerson was a school resource officer around the county for five-and-a-half years, and he says he knows the importance of the position.

“Being able to be apart of classes and sit in and answer questions and teach classes and do those things broke down those barriers,” Torgerson said.

By breaking down those barriers and building trust with students, Torgerson said it gives them a trusted adult to talk to, which not all kids have at home.

When the school announced that the SRO position would be one of the positions cut, it caused concerns about safety, not just in the school but also in the community, as the City’s full time deputy could be taken away from their duties.

“Without the school resource officer, the risk is that our deputy, who is already full time in the city, is going to be drawn into other areas in the school that would take him away from duties,” Byron City Administrator Al Roder said.

The City approached OCSO about splitting the cost, which Torgerson said was worth every penny.

“The money that it’s costing the county and the city of Byron to help out the school district at this point, is really nothing. It’s the relationships and the work that that deputy specifically in Byron is able to do,” Torgerson said.

The Byron Schools superintendent was not available for comment on Thursday.