Schaumburg cops staying at three junior highs

The financial arrangement to keep a Schaumburg Police school resource officer rotating among the village's three junior highs will continue for at least another year.

Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 has agreed to continue paying 75 percent of the cost for an officer to rotate among Addams, Frost and Keller junior high schools, as well as serve the district's elementary schools in Schaumburg when needed.

The total cost of the officer's employment, including benefits and training, is $133,557 for the year. District 54's share will be $100,167.

The school district's initial reluctance last year to step up its funding from 50 percent to 75 percent of the officer's costs threatened to end the program. But the additional 25 percent became available from a federal grant the district received, District 54 spokeswoman Terri McHugh said.

However, that grant does not specify this particular use and the money could be spent on a variety of different things.

"We would still like (police) to pay 50 percent," McHugh said.

Until two years ago, Schaumburg provided a separate officer for each of the village's three junior high schools, but scaled back for financial reasons.

District 54 had paid 75 percent of the cost of its school resource officers, before negotiating its share down to 50 percent for a number of years.

Hoffman Estates police also provide District 54 with a school resource officer for Eisenhower Junior High, but Elk Grove Village has not provided an officer at Mead Junior High for some time, McHugh said.

Schaumburg Deputy Police Chief Larry Barchet said his department continues to provide a school resource officer for Schaumburg High School. Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 pays 75 percent of the cost and the continuation of that relationship has never been in doubt, Barchet added.

Schaumburg village trustees are scheduled to vote on the new one-year contract Tuesday night.