Canfield schools without officer

Paul Lasky, a trained juvenile officer, had been in Canfield schools since 1990.

By Elise Franco

CANFIELD — The police department was forced to remove its officer from the school district after a salary agreement between the city and township fell apart.

Police Chief Chuck Colucci said this is the first time in nearly 10 years that the district is without a full-time officer.

The decision to pull Paul Lasky from the Canfield Local School District came just a few weeks before the 2009-10 school year began, after the city and township were unable to come to an agreement on how to pay the officer’s salary.

“The township decided it was not in their best interest to keep the officer,” Colucci said.

Lasky, a trained juvenile officer, has been in Canfield schools since 1990 promoting the D.A.R.E. program. In 2000, he was stationed in the school district full time through a three-year grant that funded 75 percent of his salary, Colucci said. City Manager Chuck Tieche said when the grant dried up in 2003, the city began to pay Lasky’s salary in full. He said that lasted until 2007, when an agreement was reached with the township to pay half.

“We entered into an agreement with the township to pay a portion of the cost, but we didn’t end up renewing that agreement after that year,” he said. “I partially blame myself for that, because in 2007, it was my thought that it was an automatically renewable agreement, and it wasn’t.”

Colucci said the department applied for the grant again in 2009, but the request was denied. It would have brought in $223,129 over three years.

Tieche said he approached the township trustees earlier this year to work out a new agreement.

“We asked the township to pay their half just for nine months,” he said. “It’s only fair they would only pay for the time the officer was in the school because the city has the benefit of that officer the other three months.”

Tieche said he sent the trustees a breakdown of Lasky’s salary from 2008, which was $81,600.

After subtracting a $4,000 grant that covered D.A.R.E. and a seat-belt safety program and the three months Lasky is not in the district, he said the township would be responsible for about $35,000.

Trustee Dick Puerner said he and his colleagues are not against keeping an officer in the district, but several factors played into their decision to reject the agreement.

The vote was 2 to 1, with trustee Randy Brashen voting for the agreement.

Puerner said he sat down with Tieche to discuss alternatives, such as choosing a different officer with a smaller salary.

“We asked if they could stick someone in there who was lower on the pay scale, someone who might possibly fit in better with the students,” he said.

Tieche said the city has no intention of putting a different officer back in the schools.

“We had a discussion about the officer who is in there, and we’re open for discussion, but ultimately the city is going to be making the decision,” he said. “It needs to be someone we’re comfortable having in there, and cost wasn’t going to dictate that one way or the other.”

Colucci said he’s open to any suggestions that puts an officer back into the district.

“It’s important to maintain security for the entire school system, and any criminal acts that go on beyond the schools’ abilities, we handled,” he said. “Best case is one of our officers is put back in our school, and we get on the same path we were on before.”

Puerner and Brashen, who are both seeking re-election in November, said they want to revisit the issue and work with the city to find a resolution.

“We want to see an officer back in the schools,” Puerner said.

Trustee Bill Reese could not be reached to comment.

Colucci said Lasky has been reassigned to patrol duty. He said the retirement of former Police Chief David Blystone in March and the promotion of a patrolman to sergeant has left the patrolman’s position vacant.

Tieche said he plans to wait until after the November election to reopen talks with the trustees.

“We’ve decided to wait and see what happens with the election before we bring it up again,” he said. “It’s probably more appropriate to wait and see who’s going to be trustee.”

efranco@vindy.com

Canfield City broke down the 2009 wages for Officer Paul Lasky. Canfield Township trustees were asked by the city to pay about $35,000 of the officer’s salary to cover half of the nine months he works in the school district.

TOTAL WAGE BREAKDOWN:

Annual contractual compensation: $52,203.

Longevity per contract: $1,500.

Holiday Pay: $2,208.59.

Overtime for training: $850.08.

Uniform maintenance and purchase allowance: $1,200.

Workers’ compensation: $1,655.79.

Ohio police and fire: $11,068.53.

Insurance, including health, dental, vision and life: $11,735.76.

Employee contribution to health insurance: ($738.24.)

Total salary: $81,683.51.

GRANT FUNDING:

D.A.R.E. program: $3,000.

Seat-belt education: $900.

Total grant funding: $3,900.

Source: Canfield city manager