With budget cuts looming in Biddeford, the police department may be facing the tough decision of whether or not to continue funding school resource officers ”“ the police officers who are stationed at Biddeford High School and Biddeford Middle School.
The officers’ salaries have not been part of the school budget for the past several years, as the police department has funded the positions for the past three years and a grant covered the cost prior to that.
Now, Superintendent of Schools Sarah-Jane Poli has said there is no money to pay for officers in the schools, as the school department is considering cuts to teaching staff, and the police department is saying that it won’t be able to fund the positions either if more cuts are made to the police budget.
In Sanford, the school department used to pick up the entire tab for the SROs at Sanford High School and Sanford Junior High School. A couple of years ago, it changed to a shared formula: The school picks up the tab for 182 school days, while the police department pays for the rest of the year.
It is up for debate as to who should rightfully pay for these officers to be present in the schools. Sanford’s shared cost approach seems reasonable, since the SRO program benefits both the schools and the police department. We would argue, however, that having police officers in the schools should fall under the police department budget.
BHS Principal Britton Wolfe has a strong case when he says that having the SRO provides positive interaction between students and a police officer, and sets a “tone of civility” for the school.
Though the installation of SROs at local schools was contentious when the effort began about 10 years ago, few would argue now that there are drawbacks to it aside from the financial cost. Thankfully, York County schools are not the types of places where an officer must be present to prevent and address criminal activity on a daily basis. SROs here usually play a more subtle role.
Youth are often taught, mostly by the adults in their lives, that police are the “bad guys” and should be avoided at all costs. Police departments are often demonized by those who like to walk on the edge of the law and it’s easy for students to form their opinions of police from those interactions.
All of that changes, however, when a students gets to know a real-life police officer ”“ and realizes that the grand majority of them are respectable people who are doing their best to keep order in a disorderly world. As Principal Wolfe said, the SRO “puts a human face on the police department” and provides an opportunity for learning.
SROs become a familiar, trusted adult who is approachable for students in their time of need, whether it’s for a problem at home or just a question about staying on the right side of the law. The “troublemakers” in school who have gotten to know their SRO might find it less appealing to have a friend and mentor catch them doing something illegal. There is no doubt that the relationships built between these officers and the students helps guide some youth toward more positive lifestyles.
All of these aspects of the SRO position ”“ improving the image of the police department, teaching youth to trust officers as a resource and to respect the law, and helping to keep order at one of the city’s most important and regular gatherings of citizens ”“ benefit both entities, but arguably fall most appropriately under the purview of the police department.
If either the police or school departments need to make budget cuts, they must both focus on their own missions ”“ and the school’s mission does not include improving the relationship between students and police.
The schools must be focused on the teacher/student learning relationship. In recent years, schools have been forced to expand their focus and their budgets well beyond this, to include the latest technology; sports and clubs; social services; and other programs. Police presence is one of these extras, and while all of these offerings have certainly benefited students, there is only one true reason for schools to exist: To teach students the basic skills they need to become successful adults.
Budget cuts from the school end should always be to these extras, not to the teachers and their teaching resources in the classroom. The budget concern over the SRO position is yet another reminder that schools must refocus on their true mission of education. If the police department feels that SROs are an integral part of their work with the community, then funding those positions should be a priority for the chief of police, not the school department.
Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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