Agenda - 09-27-2004-1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

DRAFT Draft Summary of August 24, 2004 Meeting County /Schools Collaboration Chairs and Vice Chairs Orange County Government Services Center Present: S. Carraway, E. Carter, B. Jacobs, L. Hough, J. Link, N. Pedersen, B. Stephens, L. Stuckey, R. Visser, A. Sachs (facilitator). New Paradigm for SRO's The group continued its discussion from .July 8 of the ten areas of collaboration agreed to by the two school boards. It sought to clarify the authority and sources of funding for school resource officers (SRO's) in each school district. Mr. Link said the challenge is to find a method for funding the school districts' needs above and beyond the funding that is allocated on a per pupil basis. He reviewed the process followed by the County and school districts to help "catch up" on school nursing services, through a Health Department contract. He noted that the Manager and Superintendents had just spoken about taking a similar approach to helping the schools meet their needs for social workers, If there were a countywide district tax, he said, then it might offer the County and schools a possible funding source for this or other needs. Ms. Stuckey noted that SRO's are an area that might need a creative finding mechanism. As D.A.R.E. funding has diminished, both school districts have increased their share of the cost for SRO's. Although the SRO at Carrboro Elementary School is a Canboro police officer funded through a D.A.R.E. grant, all the other SRO's in the City Schools are paid for by the school district with funds received from the Board of County Commissioners. The SRO's in the Orange County Schools are Sheriff's Deputies, funded by the school district (from its County allocation and from outside grants) and by other County support. A Hillsborough police officer serves on the County Schools' Safety Committee. The group noted that there is value in having officers from the closest local law enforcement agency in the schools. A local officer's understanding of what is happening in the surrounding community helps him or her to monitor and provide assistance within a school. The officer's awareness of what is happening among students during school hours also can aid law enforcement in the community at large. Police Chiefs are supportive of SRO's and safe school crossings, and also are concerned about their departments' budgets. For example, Chapel Hill and Carrboro have stepped back from funding and hiring school crossing guards and have stepped back from finding the SRO's assigned to the City Schools. Dr. Pedersen said that the 17,000 citizens attending schools throughout the County deserve adequate public safety services. The ultimate responsibility for safety and security in and around a public school belongs to the municipalities in which the school is