By Larry Austin
Island Dispatch Editor
A memorandum of understanding between the Grand Island Central School District and Grand Island Town Board is on the table for a school resource officer agreement.
After a sit-down negotiation between the Town Board, the town police officer-in-charge, and school district, Town Supervisor Nathan McMurray has written an MOU that details a plan for two part-time Grand Island Police school resource officers instead of one full-time SRO.
Because the town has an all part-time force, Town Board members had resisted a full-time police position, while Superintendent of Schools Brian Graham preferred a full-time officer, money for which would come from a state grant. He previously said a full-time school resource officer will serve the students "as a school resource officer program is designed in its best practice."
"Officer-in-charge likes it. Superintendent likes it," McMurray said during a work session Monday, but he added that he didn't know how the school board will decide. The BOE meets Monday.
"Hopefully, it helps us move forward because it seems everyone is in favor," McMurray said.
If the school board approves, McMurray will have Town Attorney Peter Godfrey draft the MOU into a contract.
Councilman Mike Madigan said in a statement this week that "The use of the part-time police model is the most sustainable in terms of cost. The part-time officers do not require a (incremental) dedicated vehicle, the pay rate remains comparable to the current GI Police salary (not 25 percent higher) and the full-time officer model could not, in the summer when school is out, be absorbed and deployed within the budgeted Grand Island Police coverage hours (this person would not be a GI Police officer)."
McMurray said though a part-time officer system is the way to go forward, he did not support a system of "rotating whoever is available into the schools" from the police department.
