Moore County Board of Education discussed increasing the salary of school police officers at its Oct. 7 work session.
Moore County Schools Superintendent Tim Locklair did not recommend the proposal.
Moore County Board of Education Chair Robert Levy said the county was short 11 officers, the budget could cover up to eight new officers, and they needed to compete for new officers with higher salaries before something devastating happened.
Levy blamed the state for their implementation of the one-year experience requirement for school police officers.
Board member David Hensley said the true solution was turning officer staffing over to the sheriff’s department. He said Lee County used officers assigned by the sheriff’s department to supply each school in Lee County with a trained school police officer. This solved the summer unemployment problem because the county officers then worked covering areas with increased summer tourism.
Locklair, Dr. Mike Metcalf, deputy superintendent, and Tina Edmonds, assistant superintendent for Budget and Finance, answered questions throughout their presentation on increasing school police salaries.
Metcalf said for entry-level school police officers, the minimum monthly salary is $3,617.72, and with an 8% increase, the minimum would be $3,907.14.
With the Jan. 1, 2024, training increases, officers may receive up to $350 more monthly.
If school police officers received the 8% increase, the minimum entry-level monthly salary would be $4,257.14.
Last year, school police received a 4% increase from the state.
Locklair said even though school police deserve higher wages, there was not a large pool of police officers to fill positions, and he did not recommend taking action on increasing salaries because the state drives salary increases. He said not to single out police salaries without increasing staff salaries.
Hensley said for the next meeting, he wanted a salary study of all 10 sworn-in law enforcement agencies, including job duties, and the total salaries of school police officers with overtime, and when the last equipment: shields, rifles, and patrol plates were ordered and delivered.
The discussion of the school police officer salary increase will continue in the November work session.
The board also reviewed bids for 3M Safety Laminate for all school property entryways to delay intruders and recommended Film Tek at $54,611.70, paid with Capital Funds. Properties include all county school-related buildings.
Video via Moore County Board of Education.
In the first phase, Film Tek will apply adhesive with a 30-year warranty to 2,118 square feet of entryway windows throughout all campuses.
In the second phase, adhesive will be applied to windows in large gathering spaces.
In the third phase, the remaining exterior windows will receive adhesive.
The board also discussed and recommended the new teleworking policy, which defines using technology in emergency situations, for alternative teaching situations, and for hybrid positions.
To hear other topics discussed at Monday’s Board of Education meeting, please click here to watch the video.
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~Written by Sandhills Sentinel journalist Stephanie M. Sellers. Stephanie is also an English instructor at Central Carolina Community College. She is the author of young adult fiction, including When the Yellow Slugs Sing and Sky’s River Stone, and a suspense, GUTTERSNIPE: Shakespearean English Stage Play with Translation.
