State to Help Fund SROs at York Institute

The Fentress County Commission approved a motion Monday that allows the state to help fund a School Resource Officer at York Institute.

County Mayor Jimmy Johnson says the state agreed to the since York Institute is state-operated.

“The county had already been servicing York Institute with an SRO but the state came on board and said they’d take care of the bill that it costs to have an SRO at York Institute,” Johnson says. “The state came on board, the City of Jamestown came on board, and also the Board of Education here in Fentress County will help with financing. The county commission is picking up the rest of the tab for the SROs.”

The previous county commission approved SROs for all schools in Fentress County, including one already in place at York Institute.

Johnson says an SRO costs approximately $50,000 to fund for a year, which covers the officer’s salary, training, and equipment needs.