By Staff
City will fund school resource officers
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
The good news for the Hartselle School Board is the city has agreed to pay a portion of the salaries of two school resource officers in the coming year. The bad news is it has stopped short of upping its annual appropriation to the requested $250,000.
Hartselle City Council passed its annual budget Tuesday night with revenues of some $9.087 million and expenses of $9.28 million. Included in the budgeted expenses are some $928,000 in bond payments the city makes for the school system. It also includes a $64,568 appropriation to cover a grant used to pay for School Resource Officers at Hartselle High School and Hartselle Junior High.
The school board learned earlier this week it wouldn’t receive the state grant this year. The board will supplement the city’s money with $30,000 of its own funds to cover the cost of the officers.
Superintendent Dr. Mike Reed said the board intends to reapply for the grant next year.
While the budget included money for the officers, the council has decided not to increase the board’s supplement to the requested $250,000, up from last year’s appropriation of $54,463.
Council members said the city couldn’t afford such a large increase.
Reed had asked for the appropriation in July, citing the need for additional teacher units and funding for increased student population. Reed said changes in the way the school system’s portion of sales tax receipts are allotted has resulted in declining funding from the city.