A decade ago, when the Center Grove schools first opened its own police department, two officers patrolled its eight schools in used, donated vehicles.
The department has grown in recent years to five full-time officers, and it is recognized by the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Still, it’s not enough, school leaders say.
Center Grove administrators want an officer at each of its school buildings, which would mean hiring four additional officers in the next couple of years.
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To do that, they want to raise property taxes.
If White River Township voters pass the Center Grove Community Schools referendum in November, the district will use some of the money from property taxes to increase its police force and decrease response times through live monitoring of its buildings. The referendum would raise taxes by 11.5 cents for every $100 of assessed property value. The tax hike would bring in an additional $24.8 million over the course of eight years starting in 2020.
Of the $3.1 million generated each year, $1.15 million would go toward mental health support, including hiring more counselors, social workers and support staff for students with emotional and behavioral challenges. The rest, however, will go toward various measures of school security, including hiring additional officers, live monitoring of cameras covering all school buildings and a lockdown alert system that would instantly notify first responders in an emergency situation.
Center Grove schools would use property tax money to purchase new security cameras, including analytical cameras, which can track motion in a busy area such as a school cafeteria. Once the camera recognizes the regular flow of students walking or standing, it can detect unusual activity such as running or fighting, and can take pictures of the incident and alert school police, Superintendent Rich Arkanoff said.
“Any kind of technology provides (police officers) more access to what’s happening in the buildings,” Arkanoff said. “The notification system will notify police officers of where in the building something is happening, which decreases response times. With detailed information of what’s happening and who’s involved, we’re going into the situation more informed and aware.”
School administrators have not determined how many cameras they will add, Arkanoff said.
Center Grove schools will also put a lockdown system in place that alerts school staff and police of an emergency in one of the school buildings. Administrators are looking at several options, including one that would allow anyone to use a pull station — similar to a fire alarm — to initiate a lockdown and alert staff and first responders while giving audio instructions to people in the building, according to Center Grove’s website.
With the Emergency Operations Center, which will open next September, members of the Center Grove Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, White River Township Fire Department and Bargersville Fire Department will all be housed at a central location near the high school. The building will also include a live monitoring station, which will include 24-hour live footage at Center Grove buildings around the clock, Assistant Superintendent Bill Long said.
“Monitoring after the fact doesn’t do anything to prevent,” Long said. “If someone is monitoring (cameras) live, that will be a huge step in keeping kids safe.”
But making sure every building is equally safe requires more than technology. Administrators want every building to have its own police officer. That is key to making sure students are out of harm’s way, Center Grove Police Chief Ray Jackson said.
“It makes our department bigger in size and numbers, which allows us to be in all the schools,” Jackson said. “It cuts response times in half and helps build a rapport and relationships with kids, which helps teachers. We’ve got a lot of issues in our schools, and not all are arrest offenses. We play counselors; an officer is a mom and dad sometimes. The more officers in the buildings, the better off we’ll be.”
This is the third Johnson County schools referendum in a year. Last November, voters passed a referendum that allowed Clark-Pleasant Community Schools to raise property taxes to fund mental health support and school security.
Then, in May, voters passed a Franklin Community Schools referendum that will allow the district to raise teacher and support staff salaries and provide mental health support for students.
Edinburgh Community Schools is also considering a referendum to fund capital projects and replace outdated buses.
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White River Township voters will be asked the following public question during the upcoming fall election:
"For the eight (8) calendar years immediately following the holding of the referendum, shall the Center Grove Community School Corporation, Johnson County, Indiana, impose a property tax rate that does not exceed eleven and one-half cents ($0.1150) on each one hundred dollars ($100) of assessed valuation and that is in addition to all other property taxes imposed by the school corporation for the purpose of providing funding for (a) live monitoring of facilities, (b) improved security response time and deterrents, and (c) added mental health and additional classroom supports for students."
Source: Center Grove Community School Corp.
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Here is a look at how the additional $3.1 million a year would be spent if the referendum is approved by voters:
$1.15 million per year for mental health and additional classroom supports, including:
- Additional mental health services and counselors
- Classroom behavioral support across all grade levels
- Additional staff focused on social emotional learning
$1.06 million per year for live monitoring, including:
- Four additional school safety officers
- Analytical cameras and software
- Live monitoring of facilities
- Cyber security monitoring and protection
- Bus stop arm cameras
$900,405 per year to improve response times and create deterrents, including:
- Lockdown alert system
- Emergency alert system
Source: Center Grove Community School Corp.
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