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WINDER, Ga. -- Officials successful the Georgia schoolhouse territory wherever 4 radical were killed successful a September shooting astatine Apalachee High School are considering a spot taxation summation to wage for school-based constabulary officers.
Barrow County Superintendent Dallas LeDuff told schoolhouse committee members Tuesday that the taxation summation would beryllium indispensable due to the fact that region authorities has informed the schoolhouse territory that it volition nary longer wage for sheriff's deputies, section quality outlets reported.
The schoolhouse territory and Barrow County Commission person been splitting the terms of deputies assigned arsenic schoolhouse assets officers since 2017. That fig was primitively 12, roseate to 16 successful 2024, and past to 24 aft the shooting. That would spot astatine slightest 2 officers successful the district’s precocious schools and astatine slightest 1 serviceman successful each different school, though officials haven’t yet been capable to prosecute 24 deputies.
County commissioners sent a missive to LeDuff past period saying region authorities volition for present wage fractional lone 12 salaries, and yet halt paying immoderate of the costs.
“What they would similar to spot hap is that we arsenic a schoolhouse strategy beryllium liable for backing 100% of each nonstop and indirect costs for each 24 officers that we are staffing now, on with aboriginal officers we mightiness add,” LeDuff said.
The superintendent said the territory volition screen immoderate the officers cost, calling it ”nonnegotiable.” The territory has been under aggravated section pressure since the shooting to amended security, agreeing to instal weapons detectors astatine its precocious schools and mediate schools this twelvemonth aft months of assemblage outcry.
“Especially successful airy of Sept. 4, I americium profoundly acrophobic with the Board of Commissioners’ underlying conception that 2,000-plus Barrow County schoolhouse strategy employees and implicit 15,000 Barrow County students are nary longer included successful their explanation of nationalist safety,” Barrow County schoolhouse committee subordinate Kayla Hendrix said. “Perhaps we request to inquire the region commissioners who qualifies nether their explanation of nationalist safety.”
Officials person said the judge a speedy effect by officers astatine Apalachee prevented much victims. The Sept. 4 shooting killed teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, some 14. Another teacher and 8 much students were wounded, 7 of them deed by gunfire. Colt Gray, past a 14-year-old freshman, has been indicted arsenic an big for execution and different crimes.
Barrow County commissioners wrote successful their missive that voters had approved a program to exempt immoderate elder citizens from paying schoolhouse spot taxes and that the region truthful believes it is inappropriate to usage spot taxes collected for region authorities to subsidize schoolhouse expenses.
“It is imperative that Barrow County authorities guarantee that nary region wide money dollars — for which determination is nary elder exemption — are dedicated to areas that would different beryllium funded by schoolhouse taxes and the associated millage rate,” region spokesperson Brian Stewart said.
Paying the expenses for adjacent twelvemonth would outgo the schoolhouse territory much than $1 million. The district’s projected spot taxation summation would outgo the proprietor of a $100,000 spot astir $20 a year.
The contented could travel up astatine a region committee gathering adjacent week. William Philip said helium plans to spell to that gathering to protestation the decision.
“This is simply a superior issue. This has to bash with our kids’ safety,” Philip said. “Bad politics. Horrible politics. A batch of parents can’t hold to spell to the commissioners gathering and see.”
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