From a John Bambenek-distributed press release:
Contact: John Bambenek / john@johnbambenek.com / 217-493-0760
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Bambenek Releases Statement on Unit 4 School Resource Officers
Questions Why Schools Must Pay City for Police the Taxpayers Already Provide
Champaign, IL – School board member John Bambenek today released the following statement questioning why Champaign Unit #4 has to pay the City of Champaign for a police presence when taxpayers are already funding a police department to protect residents.
“Champaign Unit 4 schools currently pays the City to provide police officers to the middle and high schools. I have recently learned this is not true for other school systems around Illinois. I have asked for further research as to how typical this arrangement is but it seems odd Champaign schools need to pay special fees to the Champaign police to provide a presence when they are already funded by the taxpayers to provide police service.”
“At first blush, however, it seems that the city has misplaced priorities when they can afford to give away millions on so-called tax incentives to politically connected businesses and the families and friends of politicians but then come hat in hand to the schools asking for a diversion of scarce education dollars to fund the police. I think we can do better.”