News

City taxpayers to foot bill for school safety

By Bill Moss, Published: April 6, 2018

Hendersonville taxpayers will shoulder the escalating cost of protecting schools in an era of gun violence anxiety.
The Hendersonville City Council agreed in principle on Thursday to hire three more school resource officers for the 2018-19 school year, a new expense that would require a 2-cent property tax increase.
The four schools in the city limits currently share two SROs — one covering Hendersonville High School and Bruce Drysdale Elementary School and the other covering Hendersonville middle and elementary schools.
“There was a day when that was probably more than we needed,” Councilman Jeff Miller said. “That day’s come and gone.”
He said in today's environment the city needs one officer for each school and ideally would add three next year for backup.
“I would like to see us bring on another one because there are many days when an officer is ill or tied up in something and that would give us a floater if we have an incident or a particular threat,” he said. “We could double them up if we need to.”
Adding three SROs would require a 2-cent tax increase.
Jerry Smith, a history and civics teacher at Hendersonville High School, said the county might agree to fund one or more  SROs but added that he was in favor of the increase even if the city pays.
“I agree completely with Jeff that it’s 2018,” Smith said.

“I think we continue to work with the county no matter what our difference are at times," Miller said. "This is something we all agree on. I see no other way around this. The only choice is whether it’s two or three. If we’re going to jump into this, I’d rather cover it properly into the future.”
Police Chief Hubert Blake said he had already been looking at the need for two SROs at the new Hendersonville High School. Councilman Ron Stephens agreed.
“It looks like with the size of that and with a parking lot across the street on a side street we’re going to need two people there,” Stephens said.
The city’s decision would still have to be ratified by the council’s adoption of the 2018-19 budget.

The City Council becomes the second local governing body to commit to a big spending increase for school security. Sheriff Charlie McDonald, the Henderson County School Board and Henderson County Board of Commissioners have all agreed that all 23 public schools will have armed guards in the upcoming school year. Two commissioners warned that the increased expense could require a tax increase, although County Manager Steve Wyatt said he thought by prioritizing spending the county could avoid a tax increase.