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District staff recommend exploring own police force amid rising contract costs
Summary
At a board meeting, financial-recovery lead Mr. Matias recommended Superintendent Slade begin exploring creation of a Steelton-Highspire SD police force as an alternative to the district's police services contract, citing steep contract increases and preliminary cost estimates presented to the board.
Mr. Matias, presenting the district's financial-recovery plan, asked the board to authorize Superintendent Slade to begin exploring the creation of a Steelton-Highspire SD police force as an alternative to the district's existing police-services contract with Sentara/Satara Township.
Matias said the township's contract price "has gone up fairly dramatically in the last year" and that the administration has repeatedly requested cost backup since Feb. 6 but had not yet received the detailed figures. "Given that and given the fact that the calendar is ticking," he said, "I'd like to formalize a recommendation to Mr. Slade that he begin the process of creating your own police force." He added the district could keep the township option on the table while staff investigate.
Matias described the legal and practical steps involved, telling the board that creating a district police force would require approval by the county court (court of common pleas) and would likely entail hiring or contracting with certified officers. He recommended the district consider retired state police, saying they are highly trained and often available without full benefit costs.
To illustrate potential costs, Matias offered a staffing example: "180 days of school times eight hours a day is 1,440 hours," he told the board, and said that, "If you were to pay them $50 an hour, that's $80,000," adding that this figure would be "roughly half what you're paying the Sentara Township for their police coverage." The arithmetic in the presentation combined a per-hour example with a separate comparative assertion; Matias characterized the figure as an illustrative estimate rather than a final budget request.
Board members did not take a formal vote to start the process during the meeting. Matias said staff would gather more cost data and bring findings back to the board; he emphasized that further reporting would be needed before any final decision.
What happens next: Matias said Superintendent Slade would be asked to report back with cost information and options; the board will consider any formal recommendation when staff return with supporting numbers and contract backup.
