Mayor Nancy Vaughan said she is tired of the city having to cover the costs for school resource officers. | Facebook
Mayor Nancy Vaughan said she is tired of the city having to cover the costs for school resource officers. | Facebook
Facing a budget shortfall, the Greensboro City Council wants Guilford County to pay the $500,000 compensation for school resource officers and supervisors.
School resource officers are stationed in the middle and high schools and come from the Greensboro and High Point police departments and the sheriff's office, the News & Observer reported on June 9. While the county already shares some of the program's costs, Greensboro is looking to reduce its financial responsibility.
"I'm tired of picking up the additional cost," Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, the News & Record reported. However, the mayor also noted that "If we don't have the right discussion and end it in the right way, we'll get a backlash. Parents want their children protected."
The city council indicated that it is not necessarily opposed to having police in schools, but the funding source should not come from the Greensboro municipal budget.
"There's extreme concern about the role of police in schools. If Guilford County Schools wants to contract with the Greensboro police to provide officers, that is there right," Councilwoman Michelle Kennedy said, the News & Observer reported. "But the city shouldn't have to spend money to supplement it."
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