New Hanover County commissioners, law enforcement and school board officials were eager to get gun toting cops in the schools quickly for the rest of the year. $600k of taxpayer money was thus dedicated and everyone felt safer. But the conversation is now evolving:
Keeping sheriff’s deputies in New Hanover County’s elementary schools for the 2013-14 school year would cost about $1.18 million, members of the board of education learned Wednesday. But they aren’t yet sure if that’s the route they want to take for next year’s elementary school safety.
Hmm. . so they’re eager to do it with no proof that it will help make schools safer. But when looking at long term costs, the situation changes? Yep, that’s $11.8 million dollars for a decade without ANY increases. That won’t put one more book in a classroom, another teacher on the payroll. Not sure this is a good reaction either, but it might generate some ideas.
But members did decide to poll parents through Alert Now, the district’s automated phone calling system, about what they’d like to see in terms of security.
Here’s hoping there will be more discussion about what will work rather than simply reacting. . . expensively!
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