The Cleveland Metropolitan School District has brought in temporary security workers to watch over school parking lots after repeated vehicle thefts and break-ins that have drawn complaints from teachers and staff.
CMSD spokesperson Jon Benedict said the first 16 workers were posted last week and more are being assigned. The district is still determining the number of monitors and the length of their assignments as it reviews parking-lot security, he said. The workers are contracted through an outside staffing agency rather than drawn from the district's own security force. Benedict did not respond before publication to a question about the contract's total cost, Signal Cleveland reported.
The temporary monitors earn $19 an hour. Part-time district security officers start at $17.48 an hour, while full-time officers earn about $19.50, the report said. Benedict said comparisons should account for employee benefits. The temporary workers are not required to hold the same training or certifications as district officers. Their job posting says they should notify law enforcement rather than intervene directly, and not every school will have one.
Jeff Perry of the Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association said members want the district to invest in more internal officers. Errol Savage, president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, said he would prefer the monitors be hired as CMSD security officers but welcomed the added presence. The district also uses CCTV cameras and recently ended a contract with Flock Safety for license plate readers. In the prior month, vehicle damage at Sunbeam Elementary in Buckeye-Shaker led nearly all teachers to call off and classes to be canceled for a day.