The Waukegan High School campuses kicked off the new academic year with a notable absence – the school resource officers (SROs) were missing due to unresolved contract disputes between Waukegan School District 60 and the City of Waukegan. Superintendent Theresa Plascencia, in a letter to parents and stakeholders, highlighted the value of SROs in fostering a secure and integrated school environment.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the city and the school district have been in negotiations to reinstate the officers, with a revised contract now offered at a reduced price of $295,000. Despite the longstanding presence of SROs in the schools, Waukegan City officials emphasized that such contracts are complex, requiring careful attention to legality, liabilities, and training.
SROs have been part of the high schools for several years, with the district paying an average of around $70,000 a year for two officers, reaching approximately $120,800 in the 2023-2024 school year. Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor was cited in a Lake and McHenry County Scanner interview, saying the city proposed $350,000 for the current year, arguing that it only covers the cost of salary and benefits for the eight months while the officers serve the schools.
In her communication with the school district and the public, Plascencia underscored the intention to maintain SROs and expressed a willingness to increase the district's payment to $150,000 for the 2024-2025 school year, as per the Lake and McHenry County Scanner. This, as she stated, was a "fair offer" considering rising personnel costs. However, as the contract dispute dragged on, Mayor Taylor remarked on the fairness of a higher figure and detailed additional expenses that the city shoulders beyond salaries and benefits.
Public figures related to the Waukegan schools and city governance, including former Ald. Gregory Moisio and former Ald. Ray Vukovich, has voiced support for the SRO program. Moisio underlined the relationships formed by the SROs with students as essential to the broader safety and well-being of the community, arguing that the SROs aid in crime-solving through information shared by youngsters. "All the new furniture here, that ain’t going to save any lives," Moisio said, his words obtained by the Chicago Tribune, advocating for a swift resolution to the contract impasse.
