MONROE — Despite months of discussions and preliminary planning between officials, the city and police department have differing views over whether a new officer should be hired to make up for the possible use of a student resource officer at Monroe High School.

Aldermen discussed a partnership between the Monroe Police Department and the school district during their meeting Monday after hearing information already provided to members of the school board for consideration last week. 

After listening to Monroe District Administrator Rick Waski, City Administrator Phil Rath and Chief Fred Kelley, Alderwoman Brooke Bauman said building a stronger relationship between the department, city and school district would be a positive progression.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for both parties to work together,” she said, noting the city’s goal of strengthening intergovernmental cooperation. “I think it’s a good step forward.”

While officials have not finalized all of the details yet, they agree an SRO would be a way to create bonds between young people and an officer. The SRO would work in conjunction with school administration to set up a schedule. 

Bauman said she assumed there would be a new police officer hired if this arrangement were to move forward and referenced previously disclosed information about a 60 to 40 percent funding arrangement between the district and the city. The officer would ultimately be employed by MPD and would revert to citywide duties during the months when school is not in session. Bauman asked how the position will be funded during that time.

However, Rath said no decisions have been made regarding whether a new officer would be hired. Despite this, Kelley has said he has proposed that another officer be hired if the city and district agreed to have an SRO. Already dealing with one officer fewer than preferred based on a 12-year study he conducted, Kelley said the station of an officer at the high school full-time should be replaced.

“It’s always my philosophy to try to do what the community wants,” Kelley said, adding that it seemed in talks with Waski that people were in favor of an SRO at the district. Kelley said it was “logical” to pick a current officer who would fit the position well and hire a new officer to replace the new SRO.

Waski said in his time at other districts, like Northland Pines School District in Eagle River, Marshall Public Schools and Adams-Friendship Area School District, an SRO was used to a positive end. He reiterated previous comments about being content with the relationship between the district and police, but an SRO would add to it. 

Kelley said there has always been a “school beat” with officers frequently patrolling around the building and occasionally being called for certain conduct. This would just be a more direct connection, he said, with the benefit of helping students understand civic engagement and their rights through engagements with the officer.

“It’s sort of an untapped, valuable asset for us,” Kelley said, adding that the most important facet of planning will be to find an officer oriented toward working with young people. “…It’s not going to be a ‘retirement in place’ kind of position.”

Waski also said students have voiced support for the addition.

“I think there is a belief that the school would be safer if we had a uniformed officer,” Waski said.

Officials are limited in the amount of time they have to put an SRO in place for the upcoming school year. Rath said planning includes hiring the officer for the position by the end of April, with training in June and July, and having the SRO ready to work by late August. Waski said if the officer were set up by the fall inservice days it would be beneficial because they could tour the buildings and work with staff to better understand school day operations. 

The district could pay for training through the use of safety grant funding awarded in 2018, Waski said.

The main factor in whether the schedule is met is members of both Monroe Common Council and the Monroe School Board. Elected officials would have to make a decision by April on whether they would like to implement an SRO. If one group votes for it, but the other rejects the plan, it would fail. School board members have requested firmer information in order to make a more informed decision. Their next meeting is March 11, though Waski said a decision might not be made then. Because the board only has one meeting this month, it may have to wait until April 8.