The Lincoln Board of Education narrowly approved paying $120,000 to keep four police officers in middle schools for another year, but not without making it clear they think it’s the city’s responsibility.

“The role they serve is an important one,” said Board President Don Mayhew. “I don’t think we should be stuck with the bill for that.”

Unfortunately, Mayhew and other board members said, the city lacks the political will to spend the tax dollars necessary to support the service.

“The city has more flexibility than we do,” said board member Doug Evans. “Once again, they lack the political will to pay for what they should pay for.”

A similar discussion occurred last year, when the police said they couldn’t justify assigning four officers to the middle schools without the district picking up the cost of their time there.

The department assigns officers to each of the high schools, a cost police officials say is worth it because of the number of service calls that originate there.

School resource officers are no longer assigned to elementary schools.

Last year, several middle school principals came to a board meeting to argue the merits of having officers assigned to their schools.

None of the board members took issue with the benefits, but several did say they believe they provide a police, not educational, service.

“I don’t believe this is an appropriate expenditure of district funds,” said Keith Prettyman.

Board member Kathy Danek said officers do serve an educational purpose, including teaching kids to trust them.

“I believe our kids learn from a variety of sources,” she said.

Also, police bring a certain authority to the school that neither teachers or principals have, said board member Lillie Larson.

Last year, principals adjusted their budgets to pay for the cost of the school resource officers, said Dennis Van Horn, associate superintendent of business affairs.

The issue shows why the board needs to establish security policies that would help guides them, said board member Barb Baier.

She also said the district shouldn’t be paying for employees who are supervised by other entities. Instead, the money should pay for social workers and psychologists who can link students with needed services, she said.

Mayhew said he hoped the security committee would be far enough along to have a recommendation on the program, but since it isn’t he would vote to keep the officers in the middle schools for at least another year.

Danek, Larson, Ed Zimmer and Don Mayhew voted to approve the contract. Evans, Baier and Prettyman voted against it.

In other action, the board voted to approve the schematic design for the two new elementary schools in north and south Lincoln, despite a request by Evans that they table it so board members have a chance to tour the four schools built in the 1990s.

The preliminary design of the new schools moves away from the open concept of Maxey, Cavett, Campbell and Roper, he said.

Those schools were noted for their open design concepts, which shouldn’t be abandoned because of security issues.

“Security ought not drive the design,” he said. “It shouldn’t be first, education should.”

The designs address security issues, including entrances that require visitors to go through the office first, as well as the ability to close off classroom wings from the rest of the school if necessary.

But Evans said the design harkens back to a traditional design in which “teachers are shut off from each other,” Evans said.

Van Horn noted that many of the issues raised can still be addressed in the next design stages.

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com