It’s possible the Gillett School District and a local law enforcement agency could hire a school resource officer in time for the start of the new academic year.
The district has been talking for several months with the Gillett Police and Oconto County Sheriff’s departments about the possibility of stationing an officer in the school to foster positive relationships and monitor inappropriate behavior.
Superintendent Nathan Hanson told the school board July 17 that he had just delivered a draft of the request for bids to members of the ad hoc committee that has been studying the issue.
Board member Jamie Heroux said the board already OK’d asking for bids, and the committee will review Hanson’s draft when it meets July 31.
“If the committee approves it, the next step is to officially send that out and possibly meet before the August board meeting if we have something back from both entities,” Heroux said. If the bids come back quickly enough, there could be a recommendation as early as the board’s next meeting Aug. 15.
Hanson asked if the district should survey the community about their feelings regarding an SRO, and board member Cliff Gerbers liked that idea.
“I mean, the funding’s going to go right on the tax bills, so I think we should,” Gerbers said.
Costs would be shared between the school district and the law enforcement agency.
“I just think it needs to be depending on how it’s presented in that survey,” board member Robin Banaszynski said. “We keep talking about creating those relationships with the kids – that it just doesn’t go out as, ‘Do you think we need a cop at school?’”
“I’ll try to phrase it better than that,” Hanson said.
Heroux said that the board didn’t ask for the community’s opinion before approving other recent new programs, including 3-year-old kindergarten and the now-discontinued day care program.
“I’m not saying I oppose a survey,” said Heroux, who was a critic of the day care. “I’m just looking for some consistency.”
wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com
