Council Member Angie Arp is on a crusade to save money. “Are we getting our money’s worth?” asked Arp numerous time during the Sept. 19th Special Called meeting of the Blue Ridge City Council. One of her proposed ideas for City of Blue Ridge budget rewrite is eliminating the School Resource Officer (SRO) at Blue Ridge Elementary School. Arp brought up eliminating the SRO position at the Sept. 6thBlue Ridge City Council meeting. At the Sept.19th meeting, Arp agreed to wait until the SRO’s current one year contract to run its course before re-proposing to eliminate the position.
All five schools in Fannin County have a School Resource Officer. The county government funds two officers, the Board of Education funds two officers and the City of Blue Ridge funds one officer. At first, only the middle and high schools had SRO’s. However, after December massacre of 20 elementary school students in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Sheriff Dane Kirby called Fannin County School Superintendent Mark Henson and said that the elementary schools need SROs. According to Superintendent Henson, the school system did not have enough money to fund the positions at that time, so the county promised to step in with two positions and City of Blue Ridge with one position. Mayor Donna Whitener said at the Sept. 19th meeting, “I am thankful we help them every year. She also stated, “We are elected to care for the city. If we have $50,000 Alicia (City Finance Director), let me know where it is.”
FetchYourNews contacted Blue Ridge Elementary School to find out what a SRO does. Lisa Jackson, BRES Student Information Specialist, described what she has seen of the SROs during her 16 years at the elementary school. “Kids feel like the SRO is their friend. The SRO directs traffic around the school and greets children in the morning. During lunch, the SRO goes to the lunchroom and mingles with students; their presence really helps with the behavior at lunchtime. SROs also assist with family conferences which could escalate into arguments. The presence of an SRO helps things stay calm. The SRO serves as the eyes of the school. We can’t get out on campus during the day.”
Superintendent Henson described some extra roles of the SROs. They aren’t school system employees, they work for the Sheriff’s Office, which gives them power of arrest said Henson. Because of this SROs are like back-ups for the Sheriff’s Office and can be called away from the school. Henson went on to recall when school SROs were called away to help other deputies find a man who stabbed several people, was on the loose and had a child with him. When officers found the man, they were able to rescue the child, who was a student at Fannin County Schools.
Sate policy does not require schools have SRO’s. The school system, the sheriff’s office and the City of Blue Ridge decided SROs are a public service that the three agencies can work together to provide.
The total cost for a SRO is $50,000 per year. This includes salary, health care, and employer taxes. Arp and fellow Council Member Rodney Kendall believe that the school system should fund all the SROs. Arp said that the school system could use SPLOST funds to pay for the position. Unbeknownst to Arp, SPLOST funds only pay for capital outlay projects. It is illegal to pay for salaries with SPLOST funds.
As parents we need to do something about this situation now. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed an SRO helping in the community and our children. These are our children, this is their safety. As a parent of a child at BRES, I will fight this. My child's safety is more precious than your budget cut.
Updates
September 21, 2016
I am currently organizing the data from our petition to present to the City Council during the upcoming budget review process. I have requested a formal meeting with the finance department to discuss the specific allocation of funds currently assigned to the school resource officer position. Updates regarding these discussions will be shared once a meeting is confirmed on the public record.
September 21, 2016
The growth of this petition reached a point that forces the City Council to acknowledge the community interest in retaining the SRO position. I have sent a formal request for a meeting with Mayor Whitener to present our position before the next budget review session.
Reached 100 supporters
September 21, 2016
43 Comments
Please keep our RSO! I feel so much better with my kids at school with he/she their. I was homeschooling due to all the violence and moved to blue ridge to get away from it and loved that the school had a RSO.
I worked there for 5 years without a resource officer and some days I wished we had one. This day and time and the way our world has changed you never know what or who may show up and try to harm our children. Maybe corners could be cut somewhere else. I love my grandchildren and want the best and safest place for them to go to school.
The kids deserve to feel safe and they get that with an officer there. They learn that they are their friends and not to be afraid of them. I'm sure the teachers feel a lot better with them there as well. This school is right on the four lane and anyone could come up but with a deputy there I think think there's a lot less chance of danger. Please put our kids first!
Two of my children attend this school and I can not even fanthom my children attending this school without an officer there; especially this day and time. Budget cuts or not.... These children's safety should be top priority!
Of all the elementary schools that need a resource officer it's the school that has the special needs program that needs it!! Why cut just one from one school?? Is this the one thing the board thinks is the easiest to cut?!?
Yes, yes, and yes, we need them
We need and are happy to have a School Resource Officer at Blue Ridge Elementary
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Council Member Angie Arp is on a crusade to save money. “Are we getting our money’s worth?” asked Arp numerous time during the Sept. 19th Special Called meeting of the Blue Ridge City Council. One of her proposed ideas for City of Blue Ridge budget rewrite is eliminating the School Resource Officer (SRO) at Blue Ridge Elementary School. Arp brought up eliminating the SRO position at the Sept. 6thBlue Ridge City Council meeting. At the Sept.19th meeting, Arp agreed to wait until the SRO’s current one year contract to run its course before re-proposing to eliminate the position.
All five schools in Fannin County have a School Resource Officer. The county government funds two officers, the Board of Education funds two officers and the City of Blue Ridge funds one officer. At first, only the middle and high schools had SRO’s. However, after December massacre of 20 elementary school students in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Sheriff Dane Kirby called Fannin County School Superintendent Mark Henson and said that the elementary schools need SROs. According to Superintendent Henson, the school system did not have enough money to fund the positions at that time, so the county promised to step in with two positions and City of Blue Ridge with one position. Mayor Donna Whitener said at the Sept. 19th meeting, “I am thankful we help them every year. She also stated, “We are elected to care for the city. If we have $50,000 Alicia (City Finance Director), let me know where it is.”
FetchYourNews contacted Blue Ridge Elementary School to find out what a SRO does. Lisa Jackson, BRES Student Information Specialist, described what she has seen of the SROs during her 16 years at the elementary school. “Kids feel like the SRO is their friend. The SRO directs traffic around the school and greets children in the morning. During lunch, the SRO goes to the lunchroom and mingles with students; their presence really helps with the behavior at lunchtime. SROs also assist with family conferences which could escalate into arguments. The presence of an SRO helps things stay calm. The SRO serves as the eyes of the school. We can’t get out on campus during the day.”
Superintendent Henson described some extra roles of the SROs. They aren’t school system employees, they work for the Sheriff’s Office, which gives them power of arrest said Henson. Because of this SROs are like back-ups for the Sheriff’s Office and can be called away from the school. Henson went on to recall when school SROs were called away to help other deputies find a man who stabbed several people, was on the loose and had a child with him. When officers found the man, they were able to rescue the child, who was a student at Fannin County Schools.
Sate policy does not require schools have SRO’s. The school system, the sheriff’s office and the City of Blue Ridge decided SROs are a public service that the three agencies can work together to provide.
The total cost for a SRO is $50,000 per year. This includes salary, health care, and employer taxes. Arp and fellow Council Member Rodney Kendall believe that the school system should fund all the SROs. Arp said that the school system could use SPLOST funds to pay for the position. Unbeknownst to Arp, SPLOST funds only pay for capital outlay projects. It is illegal to pay for salaries with SPLOST funds.
As parents we need to do something about this situation now. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed an SRO helping in the community and our children. These are our children, this is their safety. As a parent of a child at BRES, I will fight this. My child's safety is more precious than your budget cut.
Updates
September 21, 2016
I am currently organizing the data from our petition to present to the City Council during the upcoming budget review process. I have requested a formal meeting with the finance department to discuss the specific allocation of funds currently assigned to the school resource officer position. Updates regarding these discussions will be shared once a meeting is confirmed on the public record.
September 21, 2016
The growth of this petition reached a point that forces the City Council to acknowledge the community interest in retaining the SRO position. I have sent a formal request for a meeting with Mayor Whitener to present our position before the next budget review session.
Reached 100 supporters
September 21, 2016
43 Comments
Why don't we cut some of the local govt. Salaries to pay for the protection of our children. Mabey Arps salary? Our children are our future. I think protecting them and the employees of the schools are more important than MOST OF THE OTHER THINGS FANNIN WASTES IT'S MONEY ON! Keep our community safe!
Please keep our RSO! I feel so much better with my kids at school with he/she their. I was homeschooling due to all the violence and moved to blue ridge to get away from it and loved that the school had a RSO.
I worked there for 5 years without a resource officer and some days I wished we had one. This day and time and the way our world has changed you never know what or who may show up and try to harm our children. Maybe corners could be cut somewhere else. I love my grandchildren and want the best and safest place for them to go to school.
The kids deserve to feel safe and they get that with an officer there. They learn that they are their friends and not to be afraid of them. I'm sure the teachers feel a lot better with them there as well. This school is right on the four lane and anyone could come up but with a deputy there I think think there's a lot less chance of danger. Please put our kids first!
Two of my children attend this school and I can not even fanthom my children attending this school without an officer there; especially this day and time. Budget cuts or not.... These children's safety should be top priority!
Of all the elementary schools that need a resource officer it's the school that has the special needs program that needs it!! Why cut just one from one school?? Is this the one thing the board thinks is the easiest to cut?!?
Yes, yes, and yes, we need them
We need and are happy to have a School Resource Officer at Blue Ridge Elementary
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Why don't we cut some of the local govt. Salaries to pay for the protection of our children. Mabey Arps salary? Our children are our future. I think protecting them and the employees of the schools are more important than MOST OF THE OTHER THINGS FANNIN WASTES IT'S MONEY ON! Keep our community safe!