Published: August 27, 2008 12:23 pm            

School officer funding up in air

The future of Effingham County’s School Resource Officer program remained uncertain Monday evening, despite numerous efforts by the school districts involved to raise the funds needed to continue the program.

Superintendent Dan Clasby updated the Unit 40 School Board on the effort to regain funds lost after the state University of Illinois Extension office decided to discontinue funding of the program.

Clasby said the funding ends on Nov. 30, and he is not sure the funds needed to continue the program can be found by that time.

The village of Dieterich is contributing $4,000. The Effingham County Board has not decided whether they will contribute. The county’s parochial schools were contacted to see if they would like to participate, but they have not yet decided.

Clasby said he will meet with county board members next in late September to get an update on those two issues.

Unit 40 has contributed around $23,000 or $8 per student in the past, and the district may consider adding an additional 35 cents to 50 cents of funding per student, he said.

All of the county schools contribute $8 per student to help fund the resource officer program.

“The problem pointed out is that with declining enrollment, that will eventually affect the amount of money contributed as well,” Clasby said.

He said it takes between $58,000 and $62,500 to pay for the salary, benefits, equipment and car of a resource officer. The three officers work nine months a year at the public schools in Effingham, Altamont, Beecher City, Dieterich and Teutopolis and three months with the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department.

Meanwhile, Clasby said the city of Effingham declined to help fund the program. Board members felt the city might think twice about this decision once Effingham Police Department starts fielding calls from the schools concerning issues the resource officers would normally handle.

“The city will find out when we (schools) start calling them,” said board member Brian Wick.

“My department will respond to any and all calls. We will never negate any phone call for any reason whatsoever. The fact is that Unit 40 schools inside Effingham are our responsibility. If we as a city need to take any action, we will be there to respond,” said Mayor John Lange Tuesday morning, adding the city could not fund the program because of its tight budget. Lange also is a former city police chief.

“For budgetary reasons, I hadn’t approached the council on that (funding for the SRO program). When you take a look at the restraints we have put on our departments due to budgetary spending, I do not have the budgetary money available to use on that,” Lange said.

Recently, City Clerk Rick Goeckner said during an Effingham City Council meeting all the city’s departments had made cuts twice to balance the 2008-09 budget.

“Not to take anything away from the resource officers group, they’re a good group. But for the city to be a part of that, it’s just a budgetary decision,” Lange said.

Angie Faller can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or angie.faller@effinghamdailynews.com.