City, schools close to SRO agreement

The city of Gillett and Gillett School District are close to an agreement for a pilot school resource officer program in the schools.

The resource officer would be stationed on school property to interact daily with students. The district had been working with Oconto County Sheriff Todd Skarban to provide the officer under his office’s auspices, but the discussions were not completed soon enough to make the 2025 county budget.

Skarban then approached Mayor Jon Blaskowski and Superintendent Nathan Hanson to work out a proposal for a six-month trial period using a Gillett police officer. Sheriff’s deputies would cover the city on nights and weekends to supplement the three-person police department’s hours.

The city’s health, protection and licensing (HPL) committee met jointly earlier this month with the board’s ad hoc SRO committee, and the two panels authorized Hanson and Blaskowski to work out details of a contract.

“The mayor and I met this morning; I’m really excited to be working with him,” Hanson reported at the school board’s Nov. 21 meeting. “I think we both have a vision of what can the city bring and what can the school bring to this community and boost what we do.”

Blaskowski was to work with the city attorney to bring a draft contract to the HPL Committee, which is scheduled to meet at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 4, and make a recommendation to the Gillett City Council, which meets at 6 p.m. Dec. 5. Both meetings are to be held at City Hall, 150 N. McKenzie St., Gillett.

If all goes as planned, the matter could be finalized when the school board holds its regular monthly meeting Dec. 19.

Blaskowski encouraged board members to attend the city meetings.

“This is a big step for our community to bring the school and the city together,” he said. “Whether you’re in favor of it or not, I recommend everyone still try to be there to see how we’re trying to build this relationship between the two entities to move forward as a community.”

wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com