CENTERTON -- Students attending the Bentonville district's new high school this fall will be getting to know not only a building, but also a police officer.
West High School's opening means Centerton for the first time will have an officer assigned to a school. The school is expected to open with about 1,200 students in grades nine through 11.
Safer schools?
Data suggest America’s schools are getting safer, according to the most recent report on school crime and safety from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Between 1992 and 2014, the total victimization rate at school declined 82 percent, from 181 victimizations per 1,000 students in 1992 to 33 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2014. Victimizations include incidents of theft and violent crimes such as assault, rape and robbery.
Source: Staff report
Cody Harper, Centerton's police chief, said recently he has his choice for the city's first student resource officer narrowed down to two: T.J. Lee and Dean Anderson. He said he planned to make that decision soon.
Harper said he hopes to have both officers working at the high school by the 2017-18 school year, when the school adds a senior class.
The officers, both of whom have about six years of experience, have been through training and will attend additional training for student resource officers this summer, Harper said.
"Both of these guys are outstanding officers and would be great student resource officers," he said.
The officers will be expected to be more than just guardians of the school's safety.
"They obviously want to build a relationship with the school and the students and be part of the culture up there. Be a mentor, be a leader and set an example of what the kids need to follow," Harper said.
Centerton's student resource officer will drive a special pickup emblazoned with West High School's wolverine mascot. The pickup is one Harper currently drives back and forth between his home and the Police Department, but it will go to the first full-time student resource officer this fall.
Detective Alex Wallace designed the layout and Chambers Sign Co. of Bentonville applied the graphics, Harper said.
"It's something to show school spirit and draw the community in, and it helps us to stand out from the crowd a little bit," Harper said. "I hear nothing but positive things about it."
Centerton Police Department employs 22 officers, including 18 who are full time. The other four are either part time or auxiliary officers, according to Mayor Bill Edwards.
The new high school will increase traffic in Centerton, but the city is ready, Edwards said.
"We're real excited about the school coming. There will be traffic issues, but we only anticipate those during peak times," he said. "We've been doing a lot of road improvements. We're ready to go. I think it's going to be just fine."
West High School won't be Centerton's first school. Centerton Gamble Elementary School opened in 2006. There's also Life Way Christian School, which has about 575 students in preschool through grade 12.
The School District has four student resource officers, all from the Bentonville Police Department. Each officer costs the district about $60,000 per year, according to Janet Schwanhausser, the district's executive director of finance.
The district pays the city for the officers' services based on an hourly rate, determined by how much the city would pay each hour for salary, benefits, transportation, and training and certification. The same formula will apply to Centerton, Schwanhausser said.
Student resource officers are assigned to other duties when they are not working in the schools, such as during the summer.
The Rogers School District has six student resource officers. Rogers provides the officers free of charge to the district, though the schools pay for any additional duties they request of the officers, according to Jake Haak, the district's chief financial officer.
The Springdale School District paid $587,549 for 10 officers this past school year. That amount represents five-sixths of the officers' annual compensation. The city calculates the monthly cost for these 10 officers and bills the district for 10 months each year. The district does not pay for the months of June and July when school is not in session, according to Kelly Hayes, the Springdale district's comptroller.
The Fayetteville School District is billed $17.18 per hour for each officer it uses during regular schools days and $24 an hour for evening events. The district uses five officers: two at the high school, one at each junior high, and one at the Agee-Lierly Life Preparation Services center, according to Alan Wilbourn, district spokesman.
NW News on 05/31/2016