CONTRACT QUESTIONED – As part of Thursday’s meeting of the Hancock County Commission, Commissioner Eron Chek, center, suggested tabling an agreement between the commission and the Hancock County Board of Education related to the service of county deputies as prevention resource officers in local schools, noting an interest in discussion with the school board. Also pictured are Commission President Jeff Davis, left, and Commissioner Paul Cowey, right. — Craig Howell
NEW CUMBERLAND — The Hancock County Commission moved forward, Thursday, with a proposal to hire five deputies for the county sheriff’s department, but tabled an agreement with the county school board regulating the use of deputies as prevention resource officers in county schools.
Under the terms of the proposed agreement between the county commission and the Hancock County Board of Education, six deputies would be assigned as PROs for the upcoming school year “in the aggregate amount of $343,154.”
Deputies would be assigned to Allison Elementary, New Manchester Elementary, Oak Glen Middle, Oak Glen High, and the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center, with a “rover” to be stationed at Weirton Elementary and the Alternative Learning Center when not needed to fill in at other locations.
Commissioner Eron Chek, who made the motion to table the agreement, relayed that, in 2018, the school levy approved by county voters included $800,000 toward school safety, and in 2022, the levy featured $725,000 toward the cause.
“It’s clear that taxpayers want school safety,” she said.
According to the school levy call, the $725,000 for “safety and security improvements and services” can go toward prevention resource officers, security technology, entrance/exit doors, safety and security enhancements and services.
During Thursday’s meeting, though, Chek expressed concern of a lack of contributions from the county toward the terms of the agreement over the years, also noting there are newer members of the school board and a new superintendent of schools, suggesting the school board and commission meet to discuss the matter prior to approving the agreement.
Chief Deputy Todd Murray, noting it is up to the county commission to decide whether to move forward with the agreement, said the use of PROs in the schools provides a variety of resources to the students and schools, not just limited to having law enforcement on hand.
“It would be devastating to the safety and the security of the schools and the children,” Murray said of the possibility of PROs no longer being in the schools.
Though Murray added, if the agreement is no longer in place, the sheriff’s department would work to find a way to provide some service to the schools.
“I just feel morally obligated,” he said. “I think the sheriff feels the same way.”
A chart provided by Chek following the meeting shows an apparent trend of decreasing funds from the school board — going from just under $500,000 to close to $350,000 — with an increasing contribution from the county commission – almost no funding to just under $250,000 — from the 2019-2020 school year to the 2023-2024 school year.
A grant, which flows through the county commission, providing funding toward the PRO program has remained steady, according to the chart.
There was no source for the data indicated on the chart.
The school board gave its approval in June, with former superintendent Dawn Petrovich signing it on June 12.
A similar agreement between the school board and the City of Weirton, providing city police officers as PROs at Weir High, Weir Middle and Weirton Elementary, already has been approved.
In related matters, Thursday, the commission approved the hiring of five individuals – Quincy Lamont-Keith Dameron, Joseph Bartolome DeStefano, Caleb Matthew Minger, Christopher Craig Oaks and Jacob Daniel Gittings – as new sheriff’s deputies, effective Aug. 1.
Chek asked Murray if there was a time element making the hiring necessary at this time, with Murray noting there is a PRO training conference in Wheeling next week, and two of the new deputies are scheduled to begin training at the police academy shortly. The other three deputies already are certified law enforcement officers in West Virginia.
