Grant runs out this year for second officer
Students in the Morgan Hill School District might be losing one of their two School Resource Officers (SRO) next year, unless the district and the City of Morgan Hill can work out funding for the position.
The city Police Department currently supplies two SROs to the district with the help of a grant that expires this year. Two SROs have share responsibilities at Britton Middle School, Live Oak High and Central High. With the opening of Sobrato High this fall, the second SRO became even more of a necessity.
SRO Erin McNish is usually found on the Live Oak campus or the Central High campus. SRO Max Cervantes is stationed at Sobrato High and Britton Middle.
Both officers assist each other as needed and go to the elementary schools in the district on occasion.
Superintendent Carolyn McKennan said Friday that the district is beginning discussions on building next year’s budget, and there is no truth to a concern that funding to match a possible grant or city funding to pay for the second SRO has been left out of next year’s budget.
“Our budget is being created now,” she said.
Morgan Hill City Manager Ed Tewes responded that this was “good news” to the city.
“The council is committed to keeping the program alive,” he said.
MHPD Chief Bruce Cumming told members of the City/School District Liaison committee during Friday’s meeting that grants are available.
“But to get these grants, there must be a partnership between the school district and the police department,” he said.
And, Cumming said Monday, the grants can be only for an additional position. A new grant would not be available for the second SRO position, he said.
School Board President Shellé Thomas said the subject of matching funds for the SRO should be a part of budget discussions.
“We know where the priority is,” she said. “This is in the best interest of our students and our community.”
Cumming said the cost of an SRO, including benefits, is approximately $125,000 per year. The city pays for one SRO. The federal grants – like the one that is expiring this year – are “relatively easy to get,” he said.
“They require city money and school district money,” Cumming said Monday. “Everybody wants to continue the program, I don’t think there’s any dispute about that. I feel the taxpayers, so to speak, are getting an excellent return for the dollar.
“There are so many good things about the (SRO) program: having the communication with school staff; the students have another kind of role model; there is a level of accountability, which we would not have with different officers responding to different calls; an added level of safety on the campuses; it is all good. I am hopeful that we can work things out.”
With two SROs instead of one, the officers are able to develop programs at the school geared toward preventing drug use and gang participation. A recently implemented program is designed to reduce and possibly eliminate student truancy.
Cervantes attended Friday’s meeting, along with Cumming and Lt. Joe Sampson, to tell city and school representatives about the new program.
The program is the result of a collaborative effort by the city, district and Community Solutions, Sampson said.
MHPD officers, on two unpublicized days per month, conduct “sweeps.”
“We look for schoolage children between the hours of 9am and 12:30pm, because all the schools are in session then,” Cervantes said.
There is no additional funding for the truancy program itself, Cervantes said. Feb. 9 was the first “sweep” rounded up three truants who were returned to school.
Typically, the truants are referred to Community Solutions, a Morgan Hill-based social service agency. Community Solutions gets involved with the family to help ensure the students get to school.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at
md****@mo*************.com
or phoning (408)779-4106, Ext. 202.
