According to Breton’s column, this decision would make Natomas high schools the only ones in Sacramento without an on-campus police presence.
Amazing. Just last year, Natomas experienced a startling spike in home invasions with high-school-age suspects. Campus cops at Inderkum, Natomas and Discovery high schools deal with gangs and truancy every day.
Click here to read the column in its entirety. The reader comments are also worth a read — and worth consideration by our NUSD board of trustees.
One that stood out for us:
…at our school the police wear more than one hat. They really care for these kids. Know their names, and one PSO even became the wrestling coach, and in his first year, made it possible for one of our students to get a scholarship. Cops just aren’t just cops anymore.
It’s a shame. Schools are making some very difficult choices these days. BAS
I think it read that the district paid $250,000 for the campus cops. There has got to be someplace else they can cut $250,000 from in order to keep cops on campus. The administrators are going to have a lot more to deal with when these cops are gone.
This decision is going to cost more than $250K a year in the long run. The immediate increase in theft, vandalism, graffiti, fines for false fire alarms and time spent on investigating on campus violence will cost significantly more than the deterrent of cops on campus. When it’s all said and done, the bill will be ridiculously expensive.
None of this should have happened. NUSD botched the land deal, mismanaged funds and generally screwed our children.
This decision is crazy. And now athletics are on the chopping block too? What are these youths going to be doing without any guidance whatsoever. Scary to think about!
Sent via e-mail:
June 4, 2009
School Resource Officers contract with Natomas Unified School District
While we recognize how crucial campus safety is to our parents, staff and community members, we also recognize that we are in the midst of the worst financial crisis of our time.
The Natomas Unified School District has a contract with the Sacramento Police Department to provide two School Resource Officers for Inderkum High School and Natomas High School. The contract expires June 30, 2009.
This year we have paid $184,673 in labor costs for the two officers and $30,360 to maintain their vehicles. As part of the four-year contract we also have paid a one-time cost of $24,710 for equipment for the officers and spent another $108,000 for their vehicles.
Our total contract expenses for the two officers for the past four years has totaled nearly $1 million, with the district paying $760,000 and a grant covering the other $200,000.
In response to the worsening state budget crisis that has forced our district to cut $20 million from our budget in recent months, and with perhaps another $30 million more in budget reductions pending over the next three years, the Board of Trustees decided to not renew the contract with the Sacramento Police Department.
We are exploring other options for providing our high school campuses with school resource officers and are currently in discussions with other agencies to provide this service at a lower cost to the Natomas Unified School District.
Dr. Steve M. Farrar, Superintendent
Natomas Unified School District
4 years, $250,000 would add up to about a million if my math is correct, so the justification does not hold up. Especially since the “other” expenses sound like one time expenses rather than on-going expenses. I think this is a short-sighted decision. Given the number of youth in Natomas, the lack of activities, the number of low and really low income households without needed support, this decision will ultimately be a disaster for NUSD. All it will take is one lawsuit from parents of a teen that is hurt on campus or some other incident on campus that could have been avoided, to make an investment in having police on-site as a bargan!