Failure Of Sheriff’s Levy Ends School Resource Officer Position
 | Author:
Linda Kent, MT43 News Correspondent
MT43 News Correspondent |
Failure Of Sheriff’s Levy Ends School Resource Officer Position
Linda Kent
MT43 News Correspondent
Townsend Schools Superintendent Brad Racht told school trustees in May that the failure of the Sheriff’s mill levy will bring an end to the school resource officer (SRO) position.
“For many years, we have had a great relationship with our sheriff’s department,” Racht said. “I know they are going to be stretched very thin, and from a school standpoint, that’s unfortunate.”
Racht praised Rauser and the department as a whole for their ongoing support of students both in school and in the community. He also shared his thanks for the relationship with Sgt. Tony Cordova, who had been the SRO since the position’s inception.
“He did so much for our kids as just somebody to talk to, to vent to, a safe outlet for them when there were things at home,” Racht said of Cordova. “He was such a good role model for them, and we appreciate that.”
“It was just so positive to see that positive connection that he made,” Broadwater High School Principal Sheri Heavrin added. “We will miss him very much.”
Board Vice Chair Chase Ragen posed the question of whether the position could be returned if the school district were able to bring some percentage of that salary to the table. Racht said there had not been.
“We could certainly approach that with them,” Racht said, adding that his conversations with Rauser and Cordova suggested that “having the personnel to do that would be quite difficult on them. And, quite honestly, on our end, we don’t have a lot to kick in.”
Heavrin added that she and the high school counselor had begun looking for grants that might help to pay for the position.
“I observed Sgt. Cordova with those kids and his interaction, it's beyond words,” Ragen said. “It’s a force multiplier for our retention for high-risk kids here at school. . . . If you have someone like that who’s keeping kids in the school, I think it's worth taking a hard look at getting grants, making sure, if we come to a creative solution . . . it’s huge.”
Ragen added that as the board begins its work with administration of identifying budget priorities for the coming year, he would support having an SRO as a top priority.
