MONROE — One of the steps to placing a student resource officer at Monroe High School in the fall has been realized as members of the school board voted unanimously in favor of the addition Monday.
During the meeting, District Administrator Rick Waski said little discussion took place. Member Les Bieneman moved for the approval of an SRO for the 2019-20 school year.
He said it was the right choice to establish a relationship between the district and the city and a step that will allow for students to have a positive connection with law enforcement. Bieneman said as noted in previous meetings by Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley and other officials that the choice is key.
“This whole thing hinges on the quality of the person chosen as the SRO,” he said.
An SRO has been discussed by administrative staff from the district and the city for months. The person chosen from current police ranks would be employed through the city, though the school district would pay for 60 percent of salary and benefits of the officer.
The officer would be based at the high school building, but would monitor each of the five district buildings throughout the day. Whenever school is in session, the SRO would be on campus. In the months when classes are not taking place, the city would retain use of the officer. Funding of the officer will be paid from Fund 80, which focuses on “community outreach.” It is not within the state tax revenue limit, like Fund 10, which covers the cost of operational expenses such as teachers’ salaries.
Waski said he was “grateful” for board support on a measure that serves as one of a multitude of recent security upgrades through the disbursement of safety grants by the state last year. The district has installed interior alarms meant to sound if someone is let into a building from the inside and an identification system which runs a background check on any potential visitors. The district would not be allowed to pay any of the SRO expense of roughly $60,000 annually with safety grant funds, Waski added.
He noted that “likewise, we are grateful the city has been willing to collaborate with us to contribute to the safety of the city of Monroe.”
Bieneman said the positive impact of law enforcement on the lives of students will likely lead to prevention of negative behavior by some. If students inform an SRO of a potentially threatening situation, the intervention also serves as a positive reason to have an officer at the school, he added.
The arrangement requires approval from both the school board and Monroe Common Council. Aldermen and administrators discussed the partnership at a council meeting March 11. Alderwoman Brooke Bauman supported the idea. She said it seemed as though the city would need to hire a new officer if an SRO were placed at the school. The issue was also an item of discussion during the council meeting Monday.
Kelley said his own study over more than a decade suggests the department needs one more officer than currently on staff to be at “full force.” He has expressed a desire to hire a new officer to join the force and hire an SRO from current officers within the department. However, he has said the person chosen needs to be oriented toward working with young people and not looking to simply coast to retirement or get out of an overnight shift schedule.
Officials are on a tight schedule to hire an SRO. Waski said ideally, the decision would be made by the end of the school year, allowing the officer to attend SRO trainings and to take part in tactical trainings with staff.
The Monroe School Board voted 8-0 in favor of implementing an SRO. Secretary Nikki Matley was absent.