SRO
The board of education agreed that a Student Resource Officer (SRO) — essentially, a police officer on duty in the school at all times — should not be included in budget expenditures for next year, though most seemed open to having one if the funding can be found elsewhere. Trustees have also requested a presentation from the county’s undersheriff that will provide more details regarding the role of an SRO.
Several trustees voiced caution, worrying that the hiring of an SRO could spur potential layoffs for the 2013/2014 school year. “I can’t in good conscience look at swapping out school monitors (three) for an SRO,” said trustee Tony Fletcher. The current price tag for an SRO is $65,000 a year, down from a 2010 proposed cost of $85,000 per year, but the district would need to commit to a three-year contract, a commitment with which Trustee Dan Spencer said he was uncomfortable. “It just seems, we’re taking on an expense that may displace something perhaps down the road,” he said.
Recently the Violent And Disruptive Incident Report (VADIR) revealed violent incidences within the district have declined for three years. However High School principal Lance Edelman and Middle School Principal Jennifer O’Connor both voiced support for an SRO. “In the last five years that we’ve been here,” said Edelman, “we’ve had an SRO for three of the five and found the SRO program to be highly successful.” Edelman gave general incidences where students have been suicidal, ran out on to Route 28 or created tense situations needing diffusing. “We can talk about incidences, about delayed response time — in excess of 25-30 minutes for a police agency or an ambulance for that matter.” He said recently it took 35 minutes for an ambulance and 20 minutes for a police officer to arrive at the High School when an employee became ill. Trustees were alarmed to learn of long response times for emergency vehicles to arrive at the Boiceville site. McGillicuddy listed Woodstock as having the most police officers with ten fulltime and nine part-time; Olive with one fulltime and seven part-time; and Shandaken have four full time officers. McGillicuddy asked how the response time worked. Edelman said they all coordinate and whichever local, county or state officers were closest to the school would respond first. Edelman said it’s possible a police car may not be in the area. “Having an SRO, it is an insurance policy when something bad goes down quickly. We have that resource and I just feel that it’s our responsibility, that this really is a concern.” O’Connor said, “I’m looking for an SRO to form a bond with students, especially for education in drug and alcohol prevention and outreach to their families.” She doesn’t see an SRO to replace school monitors. “They all have their own way of doing things and an SRO would fit into that,” she said.
Fletcher read a headline that had just come in from the Poughkeepsie Journal about a Highland School district resource officer who was suspended because his gun misfired in the school. “It illustrates that this is not necessarily a win-win situation; it’s not failsafe suggestion and there are down sides to it.”
Budget
In the latest calculations of the proposed 2013-2014 school budget it was stated that employee insurance rates have not spiked as high as predicted, resulting in a $400,000 reduction, and that BOCES costs are showing a reduction of $300,000. Thus a revised proposed increase in spending comes to $767,250 or 1.54 percent — lower than the February 15 figure of an increase of over $1 million. With projected fund balance and money left over from the settled Ashokan Reservoir Tax Certiorari, the district will have some $5.5 million dollars to return to taxpayers inn some form or fashion. Assistant Superintendent for Business Victoria McLaren suggested that returning $3 million that would bring the levy increase (proposed at 2.3 percent) to zero and would reserve $2.5 million to offset the following 2014-15 school year. Money will additionally be set aside for Capital reserves.
Lay-offs proposed include, a psychologist, social worker, three monitors, custodian and part time social studies art, science, and math teachers. The recent federal sequester cuts have revealed that Onteora could lose an additional $40,000 in Federal funding. Assistant Superintendent for Business Victoria McLaren said it’s possible, but has yet to calculate the figure into the budget.
