CALDWELL, Idaho — The Caldwell district is looking to bring back police protection after a year of relying on a private security firm.
"The city was very understanding about why that is so important to use," said Caldwell School District Superintendent Dr. N. Shalene French.
Board of trustees met Monday to discuss bringing back school resource officers, as their current security cannot enforce the law.
"But its not cheap I want the public to understand that," said Caldwell District board member Travis Manning.
Last school year, the district faced two serious incidents.
Caldwell High School had to cancel homecoming due to threats against the school.
It also went into a lockdown after a student brought an unloaded gun to campus.
Now, with a new levy passed by voters, the district is looking at bringing police officers back to schools, but it will cost more.
"We anticipate $90,000 for this next year for an officer and 2026-2027 around $99,500," said French.
Those agreements would be renewed each year, giving the district an opportunity to evaluate safety needs and hire additional resource officers as necessary.
"And they are not even here all the time they are here at our schools 75-80% of the time they are gone in trainings and things like that," said Manning.
The district has one federal grant for one officer, but would need to pay for any others.
"I love having the Caldwell PD with us when they are with us," said Manning.
No final decision was made, as the board weighs costs and benefits. The school board must vote to approve a plan at their meeting later this month, before it moves to Caldwell City Council for final approval.