Brandon Twp.- Whether the school district will have a school liaison officer in the new year remains in question after local officials met last week to discuss the position.
There are less than three weeks remaining in the school liaison officer contract.
‘We’re still talking about it and sorting it out,? said District Superintendent Lorrie McMahon. ‘We want to very quickly find a way to fund it until at least the end of June. We support (the position) but are looking at options.?
McMahon, joined by several school principals, met with Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Pete Burkett, as well as Groveland Township Supervisor Bob DePalma and Brandon Township Supervisor Kathy Thurman on Wednesday morning.
She declined to specify what options are being considered.
In June, the school board approved budget cuts of about $1 million, including the school liaison officer position, currently held by Oakland County Sheriff Detective Arnie Terrell. The school district had paid $40,000 of the liaison’s $114,027 annual salary and benefits package, with Brandon Township picking up the remaining $74,027.
‘We would continue the level of funding we did last year, but it’s the remaining funding that is the issue,? said Thurman. ‘Everyone’s budgets are tight… We discussed in detail the value of the position and it appeared that we all agreed that the position is a huge benefit to all the schools. Then we discussed financing the position and hit a brick wall, because we haven’t reached a conclusion on how to finance it.?
Terrell has been the district’s school liaison officer for the past six years, keeping an office at Brandon High School, and solving juvenile crimes, counseling youth and putting on police programs throughout the district.
DePalma said that up until Wednesday’s meeting, he had no idea what the school liaison officer did. He said the meeting was informative, however, there was no solution offered.
‘I said it might be worthwhile to provide the same service at a lower cost,? said DePalma, who plans to discuss the meeting and the school liaison officer position with the Groveland board. ‘It seems we’re on the higher end when I look at other districts… I think the position has merit, but the issue is, where does the money come from? Groveland Township’s revenue stream has gone down about $260,000 annually the last three years. The next three years, it will go down more according to county tax assessor.?
Burkett said he is doing everything he can to get the word out on the need for the liaison officer and find a resolution on how to fund the position.
‘This is not an issue of whether it’s an important piece of the community, but for people in these financial times, it’s difficult to determine how we will pay for it,? he said.