Security Funding Proposal Draws Parsippany School Board’s Ire

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education remains unmoved by a proposal from the township on funding police in schools. The Township Council also criticized Mayor Michael Soriano's administration for releasing details of the proposal to the public before the school board had a chance to review it.

The administration sent a press release Monday outlining its proposal for funding school officers — a dispute that has played out in public feuding between school and township officials. The township's proposal would eliminate the director of school security to pay the salaries of officers, while redistributing from where the funding would come.

Read more: Parsippany Proposes To Keep School Cops, Nix Security Director

Soriano and all members of Township Council agreed on the proposal, but the council took issue with the timing of which the administration released information to the public.

"While the Township Council believes that a reasonable counter proposal was proffered to the School Board that fairly shares the funding for the School Resource and Special Law Enforcement Officers, the Township Council is disappointed that the Mayor and Business Administrator publicly released the details of the offer prematurely," the council said in a joint statement.

But the board of education disapproved of aspects of the proposal. As outlined, there would be no changes to the school resource officer program's funding for the first year.

For the second and third years, the board would bear 50 percent of the actual program cost for school resource officers, which includes school resource officer base salaries, allowances, uniform costs, training, equipment, overtime, longevity and fringe benefits.

"The Board has never, since the inception of this program, paid half of all costs associated with these positions," the board said in a statement. "The costs cited by the Township ... are costs that the Township incurs regardless of whether these officers are stationed in our schools or elsewhere."

The school board offered to enter a one-year deal, which also eliminated the director of security position and redistributed the job's funding. School officials have already incorporated it into its budget, while the township budget for next year still looms.

The board also believes the township's figures don't accord with the salary ordinance or PBA contract.

"The Board’s request for a one year deal, until the real costs can be ascertained and negotiated, is wholly reasonable and responsible," the board said.

Soriano previously praised the township's proposal, which marked an agreement across partisan lines.

"This has always been about how the program is funded between our civic partners," Soriano said. "This is a non-partisan proposal that all six of us — three Republicans and three Democrats — agree on. Our shared services make our township strong, and the more we collaborate equally, the better our whole community is."

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