Negotiations Over Resource Officers for Ohio County Schools Continue
Trending
WHEELING -- The Ohio County-provided prevention resource officer at Middle Creek Elementary was eliminated in the PRO contract recently approved between the county and Ohio County Schools, but there already has been a demonstrated need for an officer there, according to Sheriff Tom Howard.
The day after the PRO was eliminated from the school, Howard said he received a call from school district administration asking that a deputy be provided at the school to handle traffic issues.
A PRO contract for the 2021-2022 school year is under negotiation between Ohio County commissioners and their counsel and Ohio County Schools. Ohio County Board of Education President David Croft, an attorney who is negotiating the contract for the school district, provided some details about the new contract proposal Monday night.
It asks for just two county deputies to serve as PROs. One would serve at Wheeling Park High School, while the other would split time between Middle Creek, Bethlehem and West Liberty elementaries. The district would seek three additional officers from the Wheeling Police Department to serve as PROs, bringing the total from that department to six and the overall total of PROs in the county to eight.
"It's what would make the most sense, but obviously we are going to have to discuss it at the board level and have the central office make their recommendation," Croft said. "In my mind, that makes sense. We just have to see if the sheriff is willing to provide PROs."
Croft said it is his understanding Howard may not want to provide just two PROS to the school district.
"I know there were some budgeting discussions (at a recent county budget hearing)," Croft said. "But I personally have not been present at a meeting where the sheriff said he would not provide PROs, so I can't say with affirmity that is the case."
Howard said Monday that he would like to see a resolution to the situation that would put deputies in schools. He was a PRO himself when he worked in the Wheeling Police Department.
"This program is something that I've pushed," he said. "This is a great program. Some people think they're just security guards. They're not security guards. They go in, they mentor the students, they teach classes. They do a lot of stuff besides provide safety for the schools. This program means a lot to me, and it's very frustrating."
Howard said Monday that the county commission wants to charge the school district more than $94,000 per deputy, which he said is the full cost for each. He said the previous contract had the district paying $60,000 per deputy. That was because the PROs don't work in the schools 12 months out of the year. When school is out in the summer or on holiday break, those deputies go out on patrol or take vacations themselves.
"The schools do not have them full time," Howard said. "So charging them full-time for the deputies I don't think is fair to the board. This was a very simple contract that, statewide, we use. The only things that change on the contract is how many deputies or how many police officers and the amount per (officer)."
Howard also said he has not been part of the negotiations.
"I had nothing to do with it," he said. "They didn't ask me one time. I told them to let me know and I'll work with them on it. They had no contact with me on it."
The PRO contract between Ohio County and Ohio County Schools for the 2020-21 school year was just approved last month following months of negotiation. The current contract is active through June 30. Initially, the sheriff's department supplied the district with six deputies at a total cost of $562,754.
Upon approval the Middle Creek PRO was eliminated and the number of deputies provided was reduced to five. Last month, Croft said that the contract would be adjusted when that happened.
By comparison, the school district also signed a second contract with the city of Wheeling to supply three PROs to the school district at a cheaper cost of $146,000 annually. These officers cost the school district $48,666 each.
The new contract being negotiated would go into effect July 1.
If Howard or Ohio County chooses not to provide PRO officers, the school district will look to alternatives, Croft said.
"We appreciate the hard work the county commission put toward finalizing the old contract, and I hope we come to terms on a contract for the 2021-2022 school year," he said.
County Solicitor Don Tennant referred comment on the PRO contract negotiations to interim Ohio County Administrator Lou Vargo, who referred comment to Commission President Randy Wharton. Wharton could not immediately be reached for comment Monday night.
(Managing Editor Derek Redd contributed to this story.)