Lyndonville district wants to add full-time school resource officer
File photo: Jason Barnum, a school resource officer for Lyndonville Central School for the last two months of the 2016-17 school year, visits the school’s health classes in May 2017 to teach drug prevention education. Barnum is a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.
LYNDONVILLE – The Board of Education has approved a budget for 2018-19 that includes $100,000 for a full-time school resource officer.
The district had a school resource officer the last two months of the 2016-17 school year, but didn’t include the position this past school year due to budget concerns.
The district has received a boost in state aid and school leaders want to have the officer working out of the district next school year. Lyndonville would contract with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office to have a deputy assigned to the district throughout the school year. (Kendall also is proposing to contract with the Sheriff’s Office for a deputy to work as a school resource officer.)
The Lyndonville Board of Education has approved a $14,006,982 proposed budget that will go before district voters on May 15. The vote will be from noon to 8 p.m. at Stroyan Auditorium.
The budget represents a 3 percent spending increase. Taxes, however, would increase by 1 percent. Lyndonville has reduced taxes in recent years. In 2014-15 the tax rate was $18.34 per $1,000 of assessed property. The rate then went to $17.26 in 2015-16, $16.36 in 2016-17, $16.41 in 2017-18 and now an estimated $16.57 in 2018-19.
The vote on May 15 also includes:
• A proposition to collect $100,888 for Yates Community Free Library, which is up by 3.5 percent;
• Authorization to build the transportation reserve fund up to $700,000 over eight years;
• Authorization to purchase two 64-seat passenger buses to replace ones from 2007, not to exceed $250,000. Money already in transportation reserve;
• The community will elect four school board members, three for 3-year terms and one for a 2-year term.
There are eight candidates including three incumbents – Ted Lewis (board president), Kelly Cousins and Susan Hrovat. Russ Martino, who was recently appointed to the board to fill a vacancy when Penny Barry resigned, also is running for a board seat. Other candidates include Stephanie Hargrave, Bill Jurinich, Tara Neace and Steven Vann.
