Price of police at U-46 schools rises $45,000

Having police officers on Elgin Area School District U-46 campuses will cost taxpayers $45,000 more this year.

The school board is considering proposed agreements between Elgin, South Elgin and Streamwood and the district for the 2008-09 school year.

Police liaison officer agreements are approved on a yearly basis, District Safety Coordinator John Heiderscheidt said.

Each municipality first approves the agreement. It is then OK'd by U-46.

While a municipality's police department employs each school's police liaison officer, U-46 pays that department a per diem rate for the officer.

Officers are paid for 179 days of service, Heiderscheidt said.

The majority of the increase comes from the Elgin Police Department, where the cost per officer rose by $5,000, Heiderscheidt said.

U-46 will pay Elgin police $313 per officer per school day, a total of $392,640 salary and benefit costs for the school year.

"We don't have any influence on negotiating the increases," Heiderscheidt said. "That's a department cost."

One police officer is stationed at Abbott, Ellis, Larsen and Kimball middle schools, and at Elgin, Larkin and Gifford Street high schools.

The cost per officer also increased by about $5,000 in Streamwood, Heiderscheidt said.

One officer is stationed each at Canton and Tefft middle schools and at Streamwood High School.

U-46 pays Streamwood police $405 per school day, a total of $217,485.

In South Elgin, rates remained the same as last year, at $343 per school day, with a cost of $122,700 to the district.

Bartlett's agreement, which also did not change, was approved in June.

Police officers have been present in U-46 schools for the past two decades, Heiderscheidt said.

According to the agreements, duties include enforcing school rules, assisting school staff members in dealing with difficult or aggressive students and providing a proactive approach to dealing with gang problems.

"There's a benefit to the police department, to the community, to having an officer in a school," he said.

"When you talk about crisis management, one of the first steps is to develop good relationships with your fellow administrators or agencies."

The board is scheduled to vote on the agreements Dec. 8.