Friction is developing between the City of Abbotsford and the board of education over which agency should cover the costs of putting youth liaison officers in schools.

At a police board meeting Tuesday, Mayor George Peary said city council had received a letter from the board of education stating it wouldn’t fund an extra three youth squad officers in the schools.

Peary, who is also police board chair, requested the school district provide funds for three more officers to bring the total number to seven.

In doing so, the police department could reallocate members to ensure each secondary school and its feeder schools would have a dedicated full-time uniformed officer on site.

Having youth squad officer in the schools on a constant basis would go a long way to establishing relationships and trust between the police and students.

The officers would also provide additional sense of safety and security to students, staff and parents, which is especially important given the gang-style murder of high school students Joseph Randay and Dilsher Gill in May, he said.

“It won’t solve the gang problem, but it provides another option for kids who are struggling or on the cusp of getting involved [in crime].”

Having the officers in schools didn’t appear to be a board of education priority, he said.

“I’m not sure what action the board has taken after the the tragic homicides of two students last year.”

Peary estimated the cost for the three officers would be around $300,000 a year.

The letter from board of education stated that while the board was supportive and appreciative of the youth squad’s efforts, it was “not in a financial position to subsidize the increased manpower for the police force.”

It also noted there nothing in the board’s mandate to suggest it would be an appropriate expenditure of education dollars.

Cindy Schafer, board of education chair, said the district has never borne the cost of providing police officers in school, and it wasn’t likely to be able to do so in the future given the current fiscal climate.

“Our district is facing the same type of funding pressures as the municipality,” she said Tuesday.

Peary conceded perhaps it wasn’t the board’s mandate to fund the officers, but he dismissed the claim it was not in the financial position to do so.

The school district regularly maintains an healthy budget surplus year to year, he added.

“It’s a little mendacious for them to say they are not in the financial position to do it,” said Peary.

“I disagree with that, it’s because they choose not too.”

The school district budget surplus for 2009/10 budget was $800,000 and it’s total surplus reserve fund totals $9.3 million.

Peary said if the city funded three extra school liason officers in the school, it would happen “on the back of local taxpayers”.

However, the board had access to funds from revenue sources such as the provincial government and its international student program or district business company, which provide the district with a strong measure of discretionary income.