Catoosa County Commission Chairman Steve Henry said local elected officials have agreed to add five new school resource officers.
Henry and the four other county commissioners met with School Superintendent Denia Reese in executive session Tuesday evening to discuss the added employees. The county and school system split the cost on those officers, each paying about $40,000, which includes benefits.
The five new school resource officers will cover the county’s 10 elementary schools, with each officer splitting time between two campuses. The county’s middle and high schools are already covered.
The commissioners did not take any official action in the public meeting. But Henry said the commissioners have agreed to add extra funding for school resource officers in this year’s budget cycle. The officers would begin working in the fall semester.
“Sadly, we know this is something we need to do,” Henry said. “I miss the days when we didn’t need SROs.”
The decision comes three weeks after a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Last week, a teacher at Whitfield County High School fired a shot through a window in an empty classroom, after teaching a first period social studies class.
After the shooting in Dalton, Catoosa County School Spokeswoman Marissa Brower said the decision to add more resource officers was not directly tied to the recent shootings in Florida and Dalton. The school adopted a strategic plan in 2015 that included adding the extra officers.
But Sheriff Gary Sisk said the recent school shootings seemed to expedite the sense of urgency to boost school security even further.
Manager settlement
The Catoosa County Commission also agreed to pay former County Manager Jim Walker $54,000 as a settlement for his departure. Walker signed a four-year contract with the county when he came in September 2015, making about $125,000 a year. He resigned two weeks ago.
County Attorney Clifton “Skip” Patty said the settlement includes about $20,000 that the county owed Walker for accrued time off and sick pay. As part of the settlement, the two sides agreed not to sue or disparage each other.
“He’s resigned,” Patty said. “He’s moved on. And Catoosa County has accepted his resignation.”
On Monday, Black Swan Digital Forensics announced Walker was their new president. The company extracts data from cellphones, computers and other digital devices.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.