January 17, 2023 by Ciara Meyer (’23)
At the January 10 Saratoga Springs City School District (SSCSD) Board of Education (BOE) meeting, the Board approved the addition of two School Resource Officers (SROs) to elementary schools in a 5-4 vote. The decision comes after months of contentious debate over police presence on SSCSD campuses, which continued into the mere moments before the vote last Tuesday.
Trustee Anjeanette Emeka referenced the previous heated nature of the debate at the meeting saying, “I don’t think you know what I went through last time we had this debate. My family was threatened, they said ‘here’s her address, she has a family, thin the herd.’”
“The general ambiance was feisty, scary, and intense for a Board meeting,” said Student BOE Representative Kate Thompson. Leading up to the meeting, Thompson says she didn’t think the decision would pass, and she was “surprised by the vote.”
Trustees Erika Borman, John Ellis, Amanda Ellithorpe, Dean Kolligan, and Connie Woytowich voted in support of adding the additional officers, while BOE President Tony Krackeler and Trustees Dr. John Brueggemann, Natalya Lakhtakia, and Emeka were opposed. The vote rested on a few different factors—including, but not limited to, budget concerns, a recent insurance report from the New York Schools Insurance Reciprocal (NYSIR), and fears of increased racial disparities.
Borman argued that racism isn’t an issue in Saratoga, saying that, “Dr. Patton did assure us that [as to] the concerns of bias and racism, he did not have any. We do not have those issues in our district and our community.” Dr. Brueggemann focused on how the decision to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on more SROs could impact other budgetary goals and encouraged the trustees to consider the decision among “other things” like non-SRO related aspects of the NYSIR report, music, art, Latin, and mental health services. After the meeting, Thompson agreed, saying, in reference to the decision to add more officers, “I wouldn’t say it was a fiscally responsible choice.”
Woytowich sought to focus more strictly on the SRO-related components of the NYSIR report and, referring to BOE members bringing up the budget, said, “If you are anti-police just say so. I’m done with the dance.” Woytowich has been at the forefront of the push for additional SROs on SSCSD campuses, voting in support of efforts to explore the possibility of increasing police presence since July.
Thompson says she believes Woytowich’s comment about Trustees being “anti-police” may have been a key factor in the outcome of the vote. To Thompson, the vote felt “hasty,” and she says that it was “really unfortunate” that the BOE made the decision without talking to more students first. “It isn’t considerate of the number one stakeholders, who are the students,” said Thompson. “The need for student opinion has been lost in this.” Thompson was even motivated to speak up during the debate, atypical for a Student Representative, and share her concerns over the lack of student voice—an issue Thompson hopes the Board will address in future decisions.
As for the immediate practical implications of the choice to add more SROs, one officer is being brought in from the County Sheriff’s department and the other will be a member of the Saratoga Springs City Police Department. This will bring the total number of SSCSD SROs to four, and the total cost of SROs on SSCSD campuses to $300,000.
The High School’s current SRO, Officer Glenn Barrett, offered some clarity into the process of selecting the new officers. “There are seven trained SROs in the department. They went through a written interview, job shadowing, and final approval through the department which ultimately led to the official training,” said Barrett. “At this point, there will be a committee to interview and choose the permanent SRO consisting of the Commissioner of Public Safety, the Chief of Police, Dr. Patton, and others.”
Officer Barrett believes the introduction of the officers will positively impact the school community, saying, “having another SRO will greatly increase the security of the school and its students/staff. Any impact from the presence of the SRO is intended to be a positive, beneficial one with a focus on creating a safe environment for everyone.”
The two new officers will enter elementary school buildings on February 1, 2023.