Board to Consider High School Deputy

Moorpark High School would have a full-time sheriff’s deputy on its campus under a proposal to be considered by the school board tonight.

The question is whether the district can afford it.

The school board will discuss the financial impact of hiring a full-time deputy at a presentation of the district’s proposed 1999-2000 budget.

The board must approve the district’s proposed $39-million general fund budget June 15.

School board President David Pollock said he supports a stronger law enforcement presence at the high school if the district has the money to make such a move.

Larry Brown, the district’s assistant superintendent of business services, said the district has included covering a portion of the campus deputy’s salary as part of the preliminary budget. But he stressed that the district’s financial commitment still requires board approval.

“Whether it’s 50% [of the deputy’s salary] or whether it’s full time, I have to emphasize the tentative nature,” he said. “[The board] will talk about it and then the following week will be asked to adopt a budget.”

According to a Moorpark staff report, providing a full-time sheriff’s deputy would cost about $105,000 a year, and a senior deputy would cost about $114,000 annually. It’s been proposed that the position be funded through a combination of city and school district funds, grants from other sources and a $10,000 contribution from the Rotary Club.