School board considers revamp of security/admin positions

A discussion on what kinds of administrators are needed at Lake Roosevelt Schools and how to pay for them turned Monday toward weighing the merits of a “school resource officer” versus a “security officer,” which the district currently has.

Currently at the schools, a dean of students handles some discipline issues and more, and a security officer is there to handle immediate flare ups and discipline problems, including potential violence.

But current grant funding for that position may well go away this year, Superintendent Paul Turner said. The state Legislature, still in session, is considering using the money for something else. He noted using it for that purpose this year was actually “a stretch.”

The discussion started off with Junior/Senior High Principal Natalie Kontos delivering a prepared presentation on the merits of having an assistant principal as opposed to a dean of students.

She presented a long list that she said comes down to the fact that “a Dean of Students does not possess the authority and leadership skills that an assistant principal would bring.”

They’d also command about a $36,000 greater salary. Kontos said a starting salary of about $100,000 a year would be reasonable. That led Director Alex Tufts to ask if the district would be able to still afford a security officer.

Director Shannon Nicholson balked at the idea of trading two staffers focused on student behavior for an assistant principal.

“I agree, but my concern is then (for) the progress that we’ve made towards behaviors in the school, … Seems like we’re having positive movement towards behaviors. We just can’t let that go by the wayside.”

No one wanted that. The current security officer is the former sheriff of Lincoln County, and his presence adds another level of safety for students, Kontos and Elementary Principal Lisa Lakin concurred.

Mark Herndon, principal of the Alternative Learning Environment school, said he believes strongly in having an armed professional school resource officer (SRO) in the school.

He also said he does not agree with those who would arm teachers.

An SRO position uses an actual police officer in cooperation with a police agency. Turner said he’d approached both Coulee Dam and Colville Tribal police a year ago on the idea but it didn’t go anywhere.

Director Butch Stanger and Director Rich Black expressed their feelings that the push needs to be a priority. Turner said he is in favor of it, but cautioned that the funding needs to be clear, not for a year but for the future.