SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / A news summary : The Local Review / DEVELOPMENTS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Tiny School District to Disband Police Force
BASSETT — The tiny Bassett Unified School District, facing a budget crunch, will close its 17-year-old Police Department.
The Bassett school board voted 4 to 1 Thursday to dismantle the department, which includes four full-time and three part-time officers. Board member Lizet Angulo dissented.
Newly appointed schools Supt. Robert Nero said the move will save the district at least $350,000 from its $32-million budget.
The district must pay more than $1 million in debt in each of the next 20 years. The debt was incurred by a previous administration for a controversial project to modernize campuses.
“People don’t want cuts in the classrooms, so when I looked around, this program jumped out at me,” Nero said.
The district, he said, “will be as safe as it has ever been. We’re well-served by the nearby Industry sheriff’s station,” he said.
The board also agreed to increase the number of campus security guards from two to four at a cost of $100,000 to $150,000 annually, Nero said. Unlike officers, the guards do not carry guns.
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