OXFORD — SAD 17 directors voted to table a vote on whether to enter a contract for a school resource officer Monday, citing issues with the language in the contract.

The board’s finance committee recommended waiting until the May 20 meeting so Superintendent Rick Colpitts could meet with Paris Town Manager Amy Bernard to discuss the contract.

Members of the finance committee said they had questions about the duration of the contract, among other things. The board voted unanimously to table the motion.

The Paris Police Department is currently reimbursed $40,000 yearly by SAD 17 for the school resource officer, but the town and the district haven’t had a contract for 10 years, Colpitts said Monday.

Colpitts said the question of whether the Paris Police Department would still exist after June isn’t an issue. Paris residents will vote June 11 whether to keep the Police Department or enter a contract with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office for police coverage, but the contract includes an escape clause for the district.

If Paris voters opt to eliminate the Police Department, the school district is free to pursue another option. Norway police Chief Robert Federico has proposed having his department take over, because having a school resource officer would help his department to get a federal police grant.

At a special meeting of the Paris Board of Selectmen on Monday, Bernard said that in the case of voters choosing the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office option, the Paris Police Department would likely operate for about two more months to allow the Sheriff’s Office to hire deputies and transition to county coverage.

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