Politicians championed putting more police officers in schools after the Newtown shootings. President Obama proposed money to add 1,000 police and counselors in schools. An Ohio task force called for money for school officers. The Columbus Dispatch says those efforts failed to gain steam as schools set their budgets for the next academic year.
Instead, districts are left to ask taxpayers for help, change budget priorities to make room for officers, or leave schools without them. “Everybody agrees we have to do it, but nobody has come up with a really good idea yet on how to do it,” said Kari Parsons of the Ohio School Resource Officers Association. Some central Ohio districts have allotted money to add police officers by next school year; many more say they can't afford it.