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Despite concerns, Hernando School Board approves contract for deputies

 
Published July 29, 2015

BROOKSVILLE — Despite the reservations of several members, the Hernando County School Board on Tuesday approved a two-year contract with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office to provide deputies at middle and high schools.

"I have concerns over this," School Board member Susan Duval said.

The board previously had discussed the idea of a shorter contract to allow the district time to consider replacing some of the deputies with private security guards to save money.

Instead, the board was presented with the two-year contract rather than a one-year contract, which has been the standard in previous years. It's also the standard across the state, Mario Littman, the district's former safety and security manager, told the board. Littman's contract was not renewed for this year after he publicly criticized an earlier version of the contract; he spoke during time reserved for citizen comment.

Board member Mark Johnson said the contract also lacked a previous allowance for a deputy who would split time among the district's elementary schools — and whose salary the Sheriff's Office previously had offered to cover with funds from seized property.

"I'm not happy with the contract," Johnson said.

However, the price of the contract had come down from an earlier version, to $568,000. With state money for school security and $250,000 the schools are set to receive from the county for the use of some of its property, that price is low enough that it will not require the district to dip into its general fund, Johnson said.

"I did say that if we didn't have to take money out of the general fund, I could approve the contract," he said before voting in support of it.

Board member Beth Narvarud, who did not comment about the contract, cast a second vote against its approval.

Contact Dan DeWitt at ddewitt@tampabay.com; follow @ddewitttimes.