SEQUIM — As school starts today on Sequim’s five public campuses, one prominent presence will be absent: the Sequim Police’s school resource officer, or SRO.
The Sequim School District, which cut nearly $1 million from its 2009-2010 budget after the state Legislature slashed funding, opted not to fund the school resource officer program, which assigned a police officer primarily to Sequim Middle School and Sequim High School.
In previous years, the district has had a $40,000 grant for the SRO program, but that dried up this year, Superintendent Bill Bentley said.
“We were very disappointed,” he said, adding, “It’s a needed program,” but that it was one of many non-classroom elements that had to be trimmed.
The rest of the SRO funding — some $47,000, according to Sequim Police Chief Robert Spinks — came from the city of Sequim, another financially-strapped entity.
The Sequim City Council has yet to decide whether to fill the funding gap and send the officer to school, so “it’s up in the air,” Spinks said.
The total cost of the school resource officer program is “in the $85,000 to $87,000 range,” the chief said, taking care to add that $50,000 is salary, while the rest is for a vehicle, gasoline, training, benefits and overtime.
Question value
Some council members, however, are questioning the value of having a police officer on campus.
“If the school district doesn’t think it’s important enough to continue [the program], then we shouldn’t,” Erik Erichsen said during the council’s Monday night study session.
But Bentley and Sequim School Board member Virginia O’Neil emphasized that dire budget straits, not shortcomings on the police’s part, led to the funding cuts.
“I think the school resource officer was really a positive thing for our students,” O’Neil said.
Darrell Nelson, the school resource officer during 2007 and 2008, “was wonderful,” she said. “The students and staff appreciated and respected him.”
Nelson was reassigned to city patrol earlier this year, and Officer Grant Dennis served as the school resource officer through June 17, the last day of classes before summer vacation.
Spinks, for his part, emphasized that a school resource officer can act as a powerful prevention of serious crimes, because of his or her ability to get to know students throughout the school year.
“I don’t have scientific evidence, but one of our best intelligence resources is the SRO,” Spinks told the City Council. “Does having an SRO mean we haven’t had a shooting, and we haven’t had a drive-by?”
He can’t be certain of that.
“But one of these days, bad things could happen,” Spinks added, and if no officer is on campus, the force will be slower to respond.
Council member Walt Schubert advocated paying for a school police officer at least part-time.
“I see it as a proactive or reactive move,” he said, adding that the city can spend its money on crime prevention now or juvenile detention later.
Elsewhere
Elsewhere on the North Olympic Peninsula, school resource officers have struggled for funding. The Port Townsend School District eliminated its campus officer two years ago due to budget constraints, said spokeswoman Rosanne Butler.
In Port Angeles, the school district and the city shared the cost of the school resource officer program. And after the district cut its $23,000 share for the 2009-2010 school year, the city stepped forward to cover the whole bill, said district spokeswoman Tina Smith-O’Hara.
Port Angeles Police Officer Clay Rice will be assigned to Port Angeles High school this year, she said, though next year’s funding is an open question.
In Sequim, Spinks will meet Thursday with Bentley, after which the police chief will announce plans for school resource officer coverage.
A patrol officer may be called upon to add the campuses to his or her beat, or the department may send an officer only to events such as football games, Spinks said.
The Sequim City Council won’t decide whether to fully fund a school resource officer until it adopts its 2010 budget some time in December.
Bentley, for his part, emphasized that the value of a school resource officer lies in consistency.
“We have somebody to call on in case a police presence is called for,” if one officer is assigned to the schools.
“It’s money well spent,” he said of the SRO program.
“With 2,800 students, there are going to be times when we need their assistance,” Bentley said of the Sequim Police. “They’ve always been there for us.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.