Coffey Finds Creative Way to Enhance School Safety
- Angie Charles
- Oct 27
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 27
Keeping Promise to Put Cops in Schools Earns Coffey a Chance at Second Term in City Council
NOTE: This is Part 4 of a four-article package about this year’s City Council elections. See links to other pieces at the end of this article.
The Ward 2 City Council election features the only contested race this cycle among the ward seats. Kelly Coffey, who unseated incumbent Sindi Harrison in 2023, is seeking a second term and is being faced by Harrison. Both are Republicans.
Coffey ran on a promise of putting cops in classrooms and on that count, she has fulfilled her promise.
Pilot Program for School Resource Officers Approved
On Sept. 11, City Council unanimously approved a contract for the city to hire two retired police officers as SROs for the city’s schools. Additionally, on Sept. 25, Council approved unanimously a contract to hire one SRO for Holy Family School.
In both cases, Stow-Munroe Falls School District and Holy Family School will pay 60% of the cost for the officers and the city will pay 40%.
The effort, which Coffey said she views as a pilot program, was the culmination of nearly two years work on her part to research operational models and funding at other school districts, discussions with Police Chief Jeff Film about costs and how to make needed adjustments in the police union contract, and with schools Superintendent Felicia Gould and Director of Operations Mark Treen to get buy in.
What started out as a cost of $140,000 per officer to have SROs in each of the schools turned into a plan to bring in retired officers at a cost of $60,000 each per year. The total cost to the city will be $72,000 per year total for the three officers approved thus far, which amounts to 0.009% of the police budget, which is $8.4 million, Coffey said.
The significant savings is derived from employing officers who have retired from the police force and are collecting pensions, but who still have a desire to work, albeit on a part-time schedule. The officers will work full-time during the school year and get the same days off as students, for holidays, Spring and Summer break.
With only two officers hired in the pilot program for the public schools, the officers will rotate among the schools, Coffey said. Her desire is to expand the program over time so that every school would have a dedicated SRO – but that would be dependent on the ability of the school district to pay their share to expand the program.
What the Schools Did Before
Stow-Munroe Falls High School has a full-time officer and Lakeview a part-time officer paid for in part by the city and by grants. One DARE officer rotates part-time between Kimpton and Riverview, with the school district paying a portion of that cost. The new pilot program won’t change that – yet, Coffey said.
“I’d like to see our model get applied across all the schools, but we’ll have to see how it goes,” she said.
There were no officers assigned on a regular basis to the elementary schools; rather, the school district relied on and paid for active officers to sign up for shifts on their off days. Those shifts were not paid as overtime.
“Unfortunately, Police Chief Film and the schools felt that wasn’t a sustainable program,” Coffey said. “The way we were doing it wasn’t working. The cost to the schools was very high and there were many shifts that didn’t get filled.”
“While negotiating the latest police union contract, we were able to meet with union reps to give assurances that this program wouldn’t eliminate their overtime opportunities,” Coffey said. “It does remove this aspect of additional work, but there are many other ways our police are able to earn overtime.”
“At the same time, we’re providing work opportunities to officers who have retired, many at a fairly young age, who have the training and experience to do this work,” she said.
Coffey said she views this pilot program as a potential win-win for the city and school district.
“The city is in great financial shape and has been fiscally responsible,” she said. “Why wouldn’t we do things to help the schools if we’re able?”
Baby Box Coming to Stow
Another program Coffey has spearheaded for the city is one born from the heartbreak of mothers who feel they must give up their infants.
Coffey said she was contacted by friends in Hudson who had been trying to get a baby box installed in the city for women to anonymously give up their children. The program, initiated by the non-profit Safe Haven Baby Boxes, relies on communities to install boxes at hospitals and fire stations, where personnel are available 24-hours a day to retrieve a child and get it Children’s Services. But, Hudson does not have a full-time fire department, so it could not proceed with the program.
Coffey said she worked with Mayor John Pribonic, Law Director Drew Reilly and Stow Fire Chief Mark Stone to navigate the logistics and legalities and a baby box is near completion at Fire Station #2 at 4199 Hudson Drive.
The effort cost $32,000 and was paid for entirely through donations, Coffey said. Installation of the baby box did not require legislation.
Looking Ahead
Coffey said she’s excited about several of the projects the city has undertaken since the start of her first term, including the new senior & community center and the upcoming amphitheater and entertainment district on Norton Rd.
Even while taking on big projects like these, she said, that other than $5 million in short-term debt for the road work on Kent Rd and Rt. 91, the city is “decreasing its debt and increasing its general fund.”
She’d like to see the SRO program be expanded and continue to build on opportunities that create unity within the city and among city council.
“When we cross lines and take out the politics, we can get a lot done,” she said.
Coffey has proven herself to be someone who works diligently to accomplish her goals for the city, keeping promises to the voters who put their trust in her.
She’s earned the opportunity to serve the city with a second term.
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