One year later, administrators say C-S, G-A school resource officer has been ‘invaluable’
By Bruce Rolfe
One year after the Climax-Scotts and Galesburg-Augusta School Districts started sharing the same school resource officer, both local school districts hope funding for the Kalamazoo County sheriff deputy will remain in place after the state school aid budget that passed this summer initially slashed 92 percent of funding for school safety and student mental health.
While there was a proposal to bring back $125 million for the funding, house bill 5503 still leaves schools with a 52 percent cut from restoring the full $302 million to school safety and mental health funding according to a release from House Republican Leader Matt Hall.
The C-S and G-A School Districts shared the cost for School Resource Officer Deputy Matt Murphy of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department last year and continue the arrangement this year through a state grant. C-S Superintendent of Schools Doug Newington said the C-S School District has a three-year agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. He said C-S’ cost last year was approximately $37,500. Deputy Murphy spends 40 percent of his time in the C-S School District and 60 percent in the G-A School District under the arrangement. The G-A School District said G-A’s share for 2023-24 was $56,227.
“We have been very pleased with having Deputy Murphy here at C-S. He is fantastic to work with and has built excellent relationships with staff and students. His expertise during investigations has helped immensely and is greatly appreciated. His presence in the buildings helps create a calming atmosphere and adds to the positive culture we have at C-S,” said Newington.
G-A Superintendent Dr. Lindsey Newton said besides being present to offer support, Murphy is thorough when it comes to safety and identifying needs.
“We’ve been super lucky to be able to have Deputy Murphy on our team. He lends support when we need it, he lends some guidance when we have some questions. Help brain storm with us. He’s there for the kids at all times. He’s there for the parents at all times. He just does a great job,” said Newton.
Building principals in both local school districts said Murphy has had a positive impact in their respective school buildings and feel his presence is very important.
“To have somebody actually in the building two and three days a week that we can access and partner with and make those connections we can’t, is invaluable. We use it all the time,” explained C-S Jr./Sr. High School Principal Brent Cole.
“We talk about 30 second conversations all the time in education. Thirty seconds here, thirty seconds there is a great opportunity to change someone’s mindset, change their day, put a positive deposit on them and I think he does that all the time with his conversations with kids. I think he’s very proactive and if he sees that maybe a student is going down a certain path, he’ll take the time to find them and have that conversation that restore the practice. Or we try to build them up and give them the skills and the decision making not to get themselves into trouble and I think he does a great job of that,” adds the C-S Jr./Sr. High School principal.
G-A Interim High School Principal Theresa King had a similar reaction and feels Murphy is an important member of the team at G-A.
“He is resourceful, supportive and the kids love him! He has strong relationships with both students and staff and we are so blessed to have him work alongside us,” said King.
C-S Elementary School Principal Teri Peters and G-A Primary School Principal Shaun Sportel emphasize that Murphy has had a positive impact on young learners and feel building trust in the law enforcement community at a young age is important.
“I think it is essential that young students learn that police officers are here for our safety, they care about us and protect us. They are not to be feared, but admired for their brave work,” said Peters.
“Deputy Murphy is a great addition to our Ram Family. He is supportive, kind, and an excellent resource for our students and our staff. His presence fosters positive relationships between students and law enforcement, promoting trust and understanding throughout our community. We love Deputy Murphy,” adds Sportel.
Peters said Murphy greets students in the morning, giving the students a positive start to their day. The school resource officer also visits the building at various times throughout the day and walks the hallways, building positive relationships with staff as well as students of all ages. The building principal adds that Murphy searches for suggestions to help make the building safer.
The C-S Elementary Principal adds she is happy that Murphy is always available to talk through any type of threat a student may make, helping to lead and walk building staff through the threat assessment process.
“He diligently observes others as they enter and exit for any signs that may indicate a threat to students and staff,” adds Peters.
Murphy said the arrangement has worked beautifully and he thoroughly enjoys his role in both local school districts.
“Coming into my second year as a school resource officer, I am incredibly thankful and proud of the relationships that I’ve built in the previous school year and I look forward to continuing to build those relationships and hopefully have a positive impact on students in the 24-25 school year. On a personal note, it’s been a lot of fun. I believe I’ve made some true connections and true friendships, both with staff and even the students and some of their families. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m happy to be back,” said Murphy.
Between his visits with students and his presence, Murphy hopes he’s helped influence students into making good choices.
“In the police world, lots of new police officers join the profession to try to make a difference in their community. In my experience so far as a police officer, I feel that there is no greater impact I’ve made on my community then what I’m doing as a school resource officer,” explained Murphy.
“I have had any number of students come to me and say, ‘I was afraid of the police’ or ‘I didn’t trust the police until I met you.’ And that really for me, is a powerful statement or testament to some of the work that I’m trying to do in both of these districts. It’s been a lot of fun,” adds the school resource officer.
Murphy said despite the recent cut in the state school aid budget for school safety and student mental health, he’s very thankful the leaders in both school districts have been able to find the funding to keep him at C-S and G-A.
Building principals in both school districts emphasize having the funds available for a school resource officer is crucial.
“It would be a tremendous loss for Climax-Scotts if we lost his resources,” said Cole.
“I am so grateful to have Officer Murphy on our C-S team as our Student Resource Officer and would be devastated if we were no longer able to fund his services due to budget cuts,” adds Peters.
One year after the Climax-Scotts and Galesburg-Augusta School Districts started sharing the same school resource officer, both local school districts hope funding for the Kalamazoo County sheriff deputy will remain in place after the state school aid budget that passed this summer initially slashed 92 percent of funding for school safety and student mental health.
While there was a proposal to bring back $125 million for the funding, house bill 5503 still leaves schools with a 52 percent cut from restoring the full $302 million to school safety and mental health funding according to a release from House Republican Leader Matt Hall.
The C-S and G-A School Districts shared the cost for School Resource Officer Deputy Matt Murphy of the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department last year and continue the arrangement this year through a state grant. C-S Superintendent of Schools Doug Newington said the C-S School District has a three-year agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. He said C-S’ cost last year was approximately $37,500. Deputy Murphy spends 40 percent of his time in the C-S School District and 60 percent in the G-A School District under the arrangement. The G-A School District said G-A’s share for 2023-24 was $56,227.
“We have been very pleased with having Deputy Murphy here at C-S. He is fantastic to work with and has built excellent relationships with staff and students. His expertise during investigations has helped immensely and is greatly appreciated. His presence in the buildings helps create a calming atmosphere and adds to the positive culture we have at C-S,” said Newington.
G-A Superintendent Dr. Lindsey Newton said besides being present to offer support, Murphy is thorough when it comes to safety and identifying needs.
“We’ve been super lucky to be able to have Deputy Murphy on our team. He lends support when we need it, he lends some guidance when we have some questions. Help brain storm with us. He’s there for the kids at all times. He’s there for the parents at all times. He just does a great job,” said Newton.
Building principals in both local school districts said Murphy has had a positive impact in their respective school buildings and feel his presence is very important.
“To have somebody actually in the building two and three days a week that we can access and partner with and make those connections we can’t, is invaluable. We use it all the time,” explained C-S Jr./Sr. High School Principal Brent Cole.
“We talk about 30 second conversations all the time in education. Thirty seconds here, thirty seconds there is a great opportunity to change someone’s mindset, change their day, put a positive deposit on them and I think he does that all the time with his conversations with kids. I think he’s very proactive and if he sees that maybe a student is going down a certain path, he’ll take the time to find them and have that conversation that restore the practice. Or we try to build them up and give them the skills and the decision making not to get themselves into trouble and I think he does a great job of that,” adds the C-S Jr./Sr. High School principal.
G-A Interim High School Principal Theresa King had a similar reaction and feels Murphy is an important member of the team at G-A.
“He is resourceful, supportive and the kids love him! He has strong relationships with both students and staff and we are so blessed to have him work alongside us,” said King.
C-S Elementary School Principal Teri Peters and G-A Primary School Principal Shaun Sportel emphasize that Murphy has had a positive impact on young learners and feel building trust in the law enforcement community at a young age is important.
“I think it is essential that young students learn that police officers are here for our safety, they care about us and protect us. They are not to be feared, but admired for their brave work,” said Peters.
“Deputy Murphy is a great addition to our Ram Family. He is supportive, kind, and an excellent resource for our students and our staff. His presence fosters positive relationships between students and law enforcement, promoting trust and understanding throughout our community. We love Deputy Murphy,” adds Sportel.
Peters said Murphy greets students in the morning, giving the students a positive start to their day. The school resource officer also visits the building at various times throughout the day and walks the hallways, building positive relationships with staff as well as students of all ages. The building principal adds that Murphy searches for suggestions to help make the building safer.
The C-S Elementary Principal adds she is happy that Murphy is always available to talk through any type of threat a student may make, helping to lead and walk building staff through the threat assessment process.
“He diligently observes others as they enter and exit for any signs that may indicate a threat to students and staff,” adds Peters.
Murphy said the arrangement has worked beautifully and he thoroughly enjoys his role in both local school districts.
“Coming into my second year as a school resource officer, I am incredibly thankful and proud of the relationships that I’ve built in the previous school year and I look forward to continuing to build those relationships and hopefully have a positive impact on students in the 24-25 school year. On a personal note, it’s been a lot of fun. I believe I’ve made some true connections and true friendships, both with staff and even the students and some of their families. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m happy to be back,” said Murphy.
Between his visits with students and his presence, Murphy hopes he’s helped influence students into making good choices.
“In the police world, lots of new police officers join the profession to try to make a difference in their community. In my experience so far as a police officer, I feel that there is no greater impact I’ve made on my community then what I’m doing as a school resource officer,” explained Murphy.
“I have had any number of students come to me and say, ‘I was afraid of the police’ or ‘I didn’t trust the police until I met you.’ And that really for me, is a powerful statement or testament to some of the work that I’m trying to do in both of these districts. It’s been a lot of fun,” adds the school resource officer.
Murphy said despite the recent cut in the state school aid budget for school safety and student mental health, he’s very thankful the leaders in both school districts have been able to find the funding to keep him at C-S and G-A.
Building principals in both school districts emphasize having the funds available for a school resource officer is crucial.
“It would be a tremendous loss for Climax-Scotts if we lost his resources,” said Cole.
“I am so grateful to have Officer Murphy on our C-S team as our Student Resource Officer and would be devastated if we were no longer able to fund his services due to budget cuts,” adds Peters.
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