News

City thanks county for restoring SRO funding

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 22, 2024

The announcement by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners Wednesday afternoon that it will continue a cost-sharing arrangement to fund SROs next school year short-circuited what was expected to be a contentious discussion of the topic by the City Council two hours later.

Mayor Barbara Volk announced at the top of the meeting that the county's decision obviated the need for the council to act. She read a statement thanking commissioners for listening to the concerns of the school community and dropping a proposal to delete the $250,000 cost-sharing payment from the 2024-25 budget. Here's the statement:

“The city council appreciates the Board of Commissioners willingness to listen to the concerns of the faculty, students and parents of the affected schools within the Hendersonville city limits. The city is committed to working with Henderson County, Henderson County Public Schools, and Henderson County Sheriff's Department to protect our students, teachers and administration.

“The Hendersonville Police Department school resource officers serve a critical role in supporting school students in our city. Their specialized training allows them to deal with a wide range of issues facing our students. We believe that it is important that Hendersonville Police Department officers are in the Hendersonville schools to form critical relationships with our young people. This is the first step in fostering 21st century community policing, and we look forward to continuing our service to these schools.”