Waterford

High school receives additional funding for safety upgrades

By Dave Fidlin

Correspondent

Plans are in motion to receive additional dollars for safety upgrades at Waterford Union High School, officials announced recently.

During his routine monthly report to the School Board, WUHS Principal Dan Foster said the infusion of additional grant funds will go toward several efforts, including a panic button system that is in the process of being installed and a new visitor identification system.

Some of the additional grant funding, Foster said, is also expected to go toward other efforts not necessarily tied to infrastructure. Case in point: The district plans to allocate financial resources toward adolescent and mental health training.

Early this year, representatives within the state Department of Justice announced grant dollars would be allocated to school districts taking up school safety initiatives. In the first round, announced several months ago, WUHS received $20,000.

Other matters

In other business at WUHS’ Oct. 22 meeting, board members received an update from District Administrator Keith Brandstetter on the proposed assignment of a school resource officer.

Although specific details are pending, Brandstetter said WUHS and the Village of Waterford have tentatively agreed to a 50-50 cost share for the position over a three-year term. The village’s 2019 operating budget, set for adoption in late November, will solidify the process.

“We might be able to even get it for this year, depending on how things go,” Brandstetter said.

WUHS administrators have been in discussions with each of the four municipalities served by the high school. In addition to Village of Waterford, the high school serves all or portions of the Village of Rochester and towns of Waterford and Norway.

To date, the Village of Waterford is the only of the four municipalities to go on record in support of funding the position.

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