GLOVERSVILLE — A second student resource officer could walk the halls of the Gloversville Enlarged School District next fall.
Included in the district’s 2024-25 budget proposal is a $73,000 slot to have an officer based out of the middle school. Currently, there’s only one SRO based out of the high school under a contract with Gloversville police.
“It seemed like a no-brainer, especially when [police officials] presented data about how stretched thin the SRO was,” said GESD Superintendent David Halloran.
City law enforcement and school officials have informally discussed the viability of having an extra SRO since early 2023.
Low staffing has been a barrier to program expansion. With five recruits in training, department officials earlier this year advised GESD that there would be wiggle room for additional help.
Gloversville police Chief Michael Garavelli at a meeting in the school district office on Monday, April 15, 2024.
“The PD, like a lot of professions, have struggled to fill their own ranks,” Halloran said. “So they felt like they were in a good place where they were able to approach me about it.”
Halloran and Assistant Superintendent Christopher Wojeski in a recent meeting suggested opening up an office in the middle school in order to get closer to the wing’s student population.
“We look at them as partners in this relationship and so we want their input as to how they think we can most effectively serve the student population in the district,” said Gloversville police spokesperson Bradley Schaffer.
Schaffer noted that a “significant” number of calls have come from the middle school.
SRO Josh Brown for a year has handled all calls for the district. In his absence, the department does have another male officer trained to handle emergencies.
Schaffer said it’s likely the substitute will fill the seat, but declined to provide his identity.
“It would be irresponsible for me to identify the person right now and I can't tell you with certainty that this is who the next school resource officer would be,” he said.
In the past, both the agency and the school have been involved in the selection of SROs. There’s been several hires since the program was first created in 2018.
Gloversville police Captain Bradley Schaffer at a meeting in the school district office on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Within recent years, an increasing number of school districts, such as Broadalbin-Perth and Mayfield, have brought in SROs amid mounting concerns over mental health and student safety.
The Greater Johnstown School District was the most recent of the bundle. GJSD agreed to pay $60,000 for Johnstown police officer Kerri Hauser to monitor the four-school system.
Superintendent William Crankshaw had previously indicated that he would be open to expanding the program in the future.