The Milwaukee Board of School Directors is waiting to hear from the City of Milwaukee about an agreement that would bring police officers to Milwaukee Public Schools, according to Henry Leonard, board member for District 7.
An agreement between the city and MPS would bring them one step closer to complying with Wisconsin Act 12, a law mandating at least 25 police officers be placed in MPS schools.
However, it is still likely that the deadline of Monday, Feb. 17 set by Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge David Borowski will not be met.
The details
Leonard said the current deal on the table is for MPS to fund 33% of the yearly cost to have officers at schools, or roughly $525,000.
If these figures are agreed upon, then the total yearly cost to have police officers at MPS would be close to $1.6 million. The city would be responsible for the difference.
Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, did not confirm the details of the agreement, but said in an email that “the city continues to act in good faith, and it is our hope we can resolve any differences … .”
In addition to the yearly cost, MPS also would pay for the training for the officers, which, Leonard added, would be about $75,000.
The Timeline
The issue of training also is relevant when it comes to determining when police officers will actually be at schools.
According to Act 12, completing 40 hours of training with the National Association of School Resource Officers is a requirement for the police officers who work with MPS.
NNS reported last week that no Milwaukee Police Department officers were yet scheduled for this training.
A spokesperson for the National Association of School Resource Officers said that, as of Thursday, Feb. 13, no Milwaukee officers have been scheduled.
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