School district adds resource officer to middle school
Germantown — A school resource officer will be stationed at Kennedy Middle School next school year, but not on a full-time basis.
The School Board on Monday approved an amendment to its intergovernmental agreement with the village to create the position at the school.
However, the position, which the board had intended to be full time, will be "on a casual basis," Superintendent Kenneth Rogers stated in his report to the board.
Instead of spending the $75,000 for its portion of the position, the school district will pay $25,000 to $30,000 in the 2009-10 school year for as close to part-time as possible, Rogers said.
"This would not give us a full-time position," Rogers said.
The district had planned to pay 75 percent of the costs, the village 25 percent, as is done for the full-time officer stationed at Germantown High School.
Rogers said the village likely is unable to fund its portion of the position: $15,000 in 2009 and $25,000 in 2010.
The board also put two other positions, a desktop technician and elementary guidance counselor, on hold because of unknowns with the state budget and the state's approval of the district's application of Qualified School Construction Bonds for projects.
The board had intended to transfer $250,000 from the capital improvements budget for the three positions.
The agreement calls for the school district paying 30 percent of the officer's salary, reducing the amount of cuts the Police Department needs to make, Rogers said. The village is laying off 17 employees this month due to budget cuts.
Rogers said the district will be billed only for the time the officer is at the school. The district will not pay if the officer is called away for an emergency or other police business in the village.
Kennedy Principal Steve Bold said he is in favor of trying a partial implementation of the program.
"The village is struggling as the district is," he said.
Board member Tom Bowe voted against the change to the agreement.
"These kids are being underserved," he said, adding many children are experimenting with drugs at younger ages and need intervention.
