Schenectady board approves three-year public services agreement with city covering police, fire and community engagement officers

Schenectady — The Schenectady City School District Board of Education voted 4–2 with one abstention on July 16 to approve a three-year public services agreement with the City of Schenectady that combines police and fire services, funds community engagement officers (CEOs) assigned to schools and adds programs intended to link students to law enforcement and emergency-services careers.

The agreement is billed as a “city services” contract that replaces and expands the district’s prior police-only arrangement. Speakers at the board meeting said the contract adds the fire department to the scope, formalizes the CEO program, clarifies responsibilities for false alarms and extracurricular coverage, and includes Pathways initiatives to introduce students to careers in policing, firefighting, EMS and related fields.

Board members and staff described the contract as a single, lump-sum arrangement intended to simplify prior separate bills for officer coverage at events, false-alarm responses and other city-provided services. Deputy Superintendent Joe DiCaprio and Director of School Climate and Safety Jeff Russo said the contract also shifts language away from “zero tolerance” disciplinary phrasing toward a relationship framed around engagement, support and shared responsibility.

“...we’ve shifted away from punitive zero-tolerance approaches toward a model rooted in partnership, support, and respect,” Russo said during the presentation. The contract also proposes clearer protocols for body-worn camera footage and roles for an investigator…