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Trustees hear proposal to fund school resource officers at grade schools; cost estimates shared
Summary
Trustee Hopkins and a county captain outlined a plan to place school resource officers (SROs) in local grade schools, with an estimated cost of about $44,000 per deputy per year and a proposal that schools cover 119 duty days; Trever/Wilmot declined and discussions continue with Riverview and Salem.
The Village of Salem Lakes board heard a presentation about placing school resource officers in the community’s grade schools and discussed funding options, training expectations and a draft cost estimate.
Trustee Bill Hopkins introduced the concept after a resident suggested a model where each school district would fund the officer. Captain Klinkhammer of the sheriff’s office described the SRO role, training requirements through the National Association of School Resource Officers, and tasks including classroom education, emergency planning, community liaison work and supporting school administrators. Klinkhammer said deputies assigned as SROs are chosen for community and youth skills rather than for tactical assignments.
Hopkins said the proposal would ask Salem grade school to fund 119 days of an SRO’s time; the village would provide full summertime coverage. Hopkins provided an estimate of about $44,000 per deputy per year under the model presented; two officers (one per school) would be about $88,000. He said Trever/Wilmot school administrators had declined to participate, Salem indicated positive interest, and Riverview remained in discussion.
Resident Becky (Christmas Becky) provided a taxpayer cost example for Salem: dividing a roughly $90,000 yearly cost across Salem grade school’s 5,075 taxing parcels would amount to about $17.75 per parcel per year, which she suggested parents and grandparents could support via a special taxing district or similar mechanism.
No funding vote was taken; trustees said the proposal remains under discussion while they sort funding arrangements with the schools and sheriff’s office.
Ending: The board requested further work on funding and intergovernmental details and did not adopt a final funding plan at the meeting.
