Like the City Council, the Lincoln Board of Education will delay its vote on a proposed joint public agency so its members have time to review a draft of an interlocal agreement that some have argued should instead be used to address school security issues.
City and Lincoln Public Schools officials have proposed creating the Safe and Successful Kids JPA — a quasi-governmental entity with taxing authorityÌý— to hire six middle school resource officers, a threat-assessment officer, an additional school social worker, add mental health services at schools and help support the community learning center before- and after-school programs.Ìý
The JPA also would create a nonprofit group representing the dozen nonprofit agencies that run the after-school programs.Ìý
Attorneys for the city and school board last week drafted an interlocal agreement that would provide for the same services, at the request of City Councilwoman Leirion Gaylor Baird and school board President Lanny Boswell.
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The JPA would create a governmental unit made up of three school board members, two City Council members and the mayor, with the authority to levy a 1-cent property tax per $100 of assessed valuation.
The interlocal agreement doesn't create a new governmental entity, but two administrators, one appointed by the mayor and one by the school superintendent, would oversee the budget and programs. The agreement also creates the nonprofit coordinating group.
The interlocal agreement stipulates that each governmental unit will levy a half-centÌýproperty tax per $100 in valuation.ÌýÌýÌý
Having a draft interlocal agreement in front of the council and school board will allow members to better compare the two proposals, Boswell said.
The City Council may vote on the JPA proposal or an interlocal agreement at its May 14 meeting; the school board is considering action on the issue at its May 22 meeting.
As the city and school board look at what avenue to use for additional school safety programs — an interlocal agreement or a joint public agency — elected leaders will be hard-pressed to satisfy everyone.
There are at least four distinct camps in the school safety issue, each pushing for different paths. Here are some of those arguments:
More resource officers
Many of those who want to see school resource officers in all 12 LPS middle schools are members of a new advocacy group called Parents United For Greater School Security.
The group doesn’t really care how its goal is accomplished, whether through an interlocal agreement or a joint public agency. Members began advocating for heightened school security in a number of areas after the Parkland, Florida, shooting in February.
Against resource officersÌý
Several groups, including the NAACP, Nebraskans Against Gun Violence, and the ACLU of Nebraska, along with some parents of minority students, fear police officers in schools will exacerbate the “school-to-prison pipeline†by unfairly and sometimes unconsciously targeting minority students and other marginalized groups for referrals to juvenile court.
Many support the other programs, such as after-school programs and additional mental health services, and don’t have an opinion about whether programs are accomplished through an interlocal agreement or JPA.
To allay concerns, the city and school district prepared a memorandum of understanding to require school disciplinary procedures be the first and primary response to student misbehavior, not criminal charges. It also would require collecting statistics on juvenile court referrals, broken down by race and other demographic groups.
Against forming JPA
A number of people — including groups such as the Lincoln Independent Business Association and the Realtors Association of LincolnÌý— do not want the proposed programs run by a new joint public agency.
Many support adding school resource officers, additional mental health services for students and funding the community learning centers, but they want less government and believe a JPA is government growth that will eventually mean a higher tax rate.
The city administration has promised it will reduce the city levy by a half-cent in the next two-year budget to offset half of the JPA's 1-cent tax rate. School board members have said they will try to reduce their levy by a half-cent. But there is no guarantee after next year.
Favor the JPA structure
This group, including the nonprofit groups that run many of the after-school programs, and city and school administrators, believe the community learning centers keep kids out of trouble after school, and help students do better in school by offering academic support and helping families.
Putting the CLC program under a joint public agency, with its 1-cent sales tax base, would give the program stable, long-term funding and offer greater prominence in the search for national grant dollars.Ìý
The CLC program is the cornerstone of the JPA agreement, if you look at the annual funding guarantees in the contract.
School resource officers can receive up to 30 percent of the JPA revenue, but there is no guarantee that the JPA has to provide the resource officer program with any funding. The mental health components also have no guarantee of funding.
However, the community learning centers are guaranteed at least 40 percent of the JPA funding, and there is no cap on funding, so the CLCs could receive all the annual JPA revenue.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.Ìý
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Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 orÌýmreist@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSreist.
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