School Safety Committee Recommends SROs

Last night, the Ad Hoc Committee on School Safety met to discuss possible options for improving school safety in Sumner County Schools. 

The committee recommended adding 13 School Resource Officers (SROs) to the schools by spring of 2014 -- they can't be deployed earlier because the committee is reluctant to recommend using reserve funds to cover start-up costs and because the training takes 10 or more weeks from the date of hire.  The plan is a five year plan to deploy SROs at all schools in the district. 

The Committee heard information regarding a request for funds from the School Board to upgrade school buildings to provide additional security.  This would be a one-time cost to address needs identified during a currently on-going assessment of the system's schools. 

At one point during the meeting, Chair and County Commissioner Jim Vaughn said the committee couldn't act on concrete recommendations because none had been submitted by the School Board.  This in spite of a December letter from Dr. Del Phillips and County Executive Anthony Holt requesting one-time money to address school safety.  The amount of the request was $5 million. 

School Board Chair Ted Wise, present despite his recent resignation from the committee, read a letter from the School Board dated January 9th and addressed to County Executive Holt and County Commission Chair Hyde.  The letter requested immediate action on a proposal to provide an SRO in every school and allocate one-time money for building upgrades to enhance school safety. 

Following that January 9th request, Commissioners in a budget committee meeting requested that the issue be deferred until a committee chaired by Vaughn could further study the issue.  The Ad Hoc Committee was later appointed and Vaughn named the Chair. The first meeting was last night - a full 50 days following the Board's request and 70 days after Dr. Phillips and County Executive Holt asked the Commission to act. 

Safe and Drug Free Schools Coordinator Pat Conner asked that the Committee or County Commission give some budget guidance.  She said the assessment of facilities will show areas needing upgrade/improvement but the solutions will vary in cost.  She asked for $3 million to be allocated for school security upgrades.  The Committee indicated that no money was currently available (they won't spend reserves) and that until they saw clear recommendations, they didn't want to discuss funding. 

County Commissioner Frank Freels, present though not a committee member, spoke and suggested that Sumner County is being pushed into doing something and that counties as close by as Trousdale were doing nothing and that was just fine. 

Commissioner Jerry Stone noted that he was unsure where the money would come from -- and it is Stone who now chairs the County Commission Budget Committee. 

County Commissioner and former Hendersonville High School principal Paul Decker noted that the SRO program was excellent and he supported expanding it to more schools in Sumner County. 

School Board member and former Portland High principal Glen Gregory said that new graduates looking to enter the teaching field will look for schools that are safe.

Danny Hurst, who manages the SRO program, noted that safe schools are key to economic development.  He noted that families moving to middle Tennessee will look for school systems with solid school safety plans. 

The Committee's next meeting will be on March 28th -- A Thursday during the week of the school system's Spring Break and just before Good Friday.