Cops will remain in Schaumburg schools

Schaumburg police will continue to provide a school resource officer in three junior high schools in the fall and will keep the elementary school Officer Friendly program, thanks to a change in the department's financial arrangement with Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54.

Schaumburg Police Chief Brian Howerton said the continuation of both programs is possible because District 54 is willing to increase its share of the officer's cost back to 75 percent, from the 50 percent it's been in recent years.

District 54 spokeswoman Terri McHugh said a grant will provide the additional 25 percent the district will pay.

She couldn't comment further on the details of the new arrangement as the contract with the police department has yet to be approved by the school board.

Earlier this year, Howerton said it was unlikely the village could continue to provide a full-time officer to the district with a 50-50 cost split.

District 54 had been paying 75 percent of its school resource officer costs until a few years ago when it requested a cost reduction due to financial difficulties of its own, Howerton said.

But while times are now tough for everyone, the schools collect a property tax while the village is dependent on much less reliable sales taxes.

"We feel the hit a little harder than most," Howerton said.

Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 has always paid 75 percent of the cost of its school resource officer at Schaumburg High School, whose continued presence next year was never in doubt.

Until last year, police provided one officer each to Addams, Frost and Keller junior highs. Now only one officer rotates among the three, and that arrangement will continue.

Next year, the same officer will also make occasional visits to Schaumburg elementary schools as Officer Friendly, rather than having a second officer play the role, Howerton said.

Another difference is that a major part of the officer's duties before was to teach the Gang Resistance Education And Training program, or GREAT. These classes will now be taught by the district's health teachers, while the officer will concentrate more on providing a familiar police presence in the schools.

As such, the officer will be in uniform more often in the future, rather than plainclothes.

"I think this is going to work," Howerton said of the new arrangement. "This is a good compromise."