By GAGE WILSON
for Glasgow News 1
Members of Caverna’s Board of Education approved a new school resource officer contract, concluding a months-long process stemming from increased costs for the position.
Under the previous agreement, the district paid $50,000 for resource officer services over the 180-day school year.
Since last year, the district and Cave City city officials have worked to address rising costs, with district staff exploring alternative options. Facilities Director Tyler Richardson researched different agencies and compared rates with other schools in the area.
Cave City Mayor Dwayne Hatcher attended the meeting to address board members’ questions, with Superintendent Amanda Abell leading the discussion. She focused on scenarios that might require the resource officer to leave their post.
Hatcher outlined the officer’s current responsibilities. “They make rounds, do the parking lots, and we can begin to have an officer go through the buildings every so often,” he said. However, he noted that due to staffing shortages within the city, securing a full-time officer for the district would be difficult.
Abell inquired about coverage when the officer is unavailable.
Hatcher responded, “No, we do not have someone there the entire time. I hope you all understand, being short-handed like we are, to have one come out on their regular shift, it’s going to be hard for us to do that every day.” Concerns were also raised about officers being called away for emergency situations. When asked to elaborate, Hatcher said, “As far as what kind of situations, it kind of varies from one minute to the next. I will tell you, I haven’t seen that many this year, which hopefully means there’s an improvement.” He added that any severe incident involving a student could also pull the officer away from their post. “In that line of work, it really is just minute to minute.”
Ultimately, the board approved the proposed contract with Cave City, increasing the district’s resource officer payment to $55,000 for the upcoming year.
In other business, Campbell, Myers and Rutledge representatives presented the district’s 2024 Financial Report Audit. While the school’s finances were in good standing overall, the report noted a $3.3 million decrease due to program cuts, offset by a $2.8 million reduction in expenditures. One concern emerged at the high school level, where activity funds ended the year with a deficit. According to Abell, these accounts should close with a zero balance, requiring administrators to draw from general funds to cover the shortfall.
Lastly, Board Member Allison Dennison announced an upcoming literacy-focused event for elementary students. “We got together a committee to discuss a ‘big’ event for literacy, to try and get our kids more involved in reading,” she said. The event, titled Hopping into Literacy, will combine an Easter egg hunt with reading comprehension activities. It is scheduled for April 12, with the time to be determined closer to the event.
Following these discussions, the board adjourned, with its next meeting scheduled for March 13.
