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Community split 54%-46% on adding SRO; board told $120K‑$150K cost and urged to weigh mental‑health alternatives
Summary
A district presentation of a community survey found 289 responses with 54% supporting a School Resource Officer (SRO) and 46% opposed; presenters and residents raised concerns about funding, role clarity and potential impacts on students, while some parents described positive relationships with officers.
Dr. Lloyd (presenter) reported that 289 people responded to the district's SRO survey and that responses were narrowly split: 54% supported adding an SRO and 46% opposed. The presenter told the board that subgroup breakdowns show varying support by parents, students, staff and community residents.
"We had 289 responses," Dr. Lloyd said, summarizing response rates and group-specific percentages. The presenter said respondents who supported an SRO were frequently unwilling to pay higher taxes or cuts to programming to fund the position; the survey asked about funding willingness and options such as attrition or tax cap overrides.
The presenter cited an estimated cost range for a 12‑month SRO position provided during outreach: about $120,000 in Wayne County examples and up to $150,000 in nearby Ontario County comparisons. Board members noted that a tax cap override would require a 60% supermajority at a vote, which the survey does not clearly support.
Public commenter Lori Wright, who identified herself as a Marion graduate and former elementary-school monitor, described positive day‑to‑day relationships with officers and said students who struggle socially often gravitated to officers for support. "They bring in lunch and have lunch with the students... it was really pleasant to see," Wright said.
Survey feedback flagged four recurring themes: (1) support for increased safety and community‑police relationship building; (2) concern about the cost and who would pay; (3) a preference among many respondents to invest in mental‑health supports and counseling instead of policing; and (4) requests for clearer definitions of the SRO's daily duties and the scope of authority to avoid unintended criminalization of typical student behavior.
The board agreed to publish the full survey comments and to allow public comment during the remainder of the meeting. No vote on hiring an SRO occurred; the board will consider funding strategies and further community engagement before any decision.
