Board votes to hire police officers
Hiring will be contingent on policies being put into place
The Perkiomen Valley School Board voted 6-3 Tuesday night to hire seven school police officers, but to do so contingent upon the creation of policies and rules for hiring and duties.
Voting in favor of the hiring were board President Jason Saylor, Vice President Kim Mares and members Rowan Keenan, Don Fountain, Matt Dorr and Laura White.
Voting “no” were board members Reena Kolar, Sarah EvansBrockett and Tammy Campli.
Keenan made the motion to create positions for and hire seven school police officers to fill them. The district’s plan is also to convert eight of the district’s existing school security officers down to six, making for a total of 13 security positions.
The total net cost of the proposal is $1,324,099, which includes
two vehicles, uniforms, body armor, weapons and radios and that money is already included in the budget.
White asked to amend Keenan’s motion to make the hiring of those officers “contingent on approving policies and administrative regulations and development of roles and responsibilities
of school police officers in the district,” the amendment was agreed to.
White thanked the majority for accepting her amendment saying “This is going to move forward regardless. We’re nine and five votes win.”
But even some of those who voted against the measure — specifically Campli and Kolar — said they support it, just not the speed with which it is being adopted by the board majority.
“This is not about yes or no,” said Campli, who said she was convinced to support the concept after seeing presentations by Dean Miller, the district’s safety supervisor. “This is about being thoughtful.”
Campli, Kolar and EvansBrockett, as well as White in previous meetings, have argued there are still too many unanswered questions about the proposal to move forward in April.
They and Superintendent Barbara Russell had asked for another month to work out more details, but that request was rejected in a 5-4 vote of the board last week.
Complicating the discussion was the revelation by Russell that both Lower Perkiomen Township Police and Collegeville Mayor Aidsand Wright-Riggins have reached out to the district with questions and to express interest in exploring having municipal police provide that service.