With a small pool of potential hires and increased competition from other schools seeking them, Newtown has been struggling to fill an open armed security officer position.

Superintendent of Schools Christopher Melillo said following the Uvalde tragedy, more Connecticut schools than ever now have their own security guard force, and many offer wages that Newtown is struggling to match while keeping within its approved budget parameters.

Additionally, by Connecticut State Statute, armed security guards in schools must be retired police officers with a minimum of 15 years of experience, meaning that towns are all looking to draw from the same limited pool of qualified applicants.

“There is a lot of competition, especially in lower Fairfield County, and their pay rates are higher than ours,” said Melillo. “Officers are coming from all over the state, looking to support their retirement.”

Director of Security Mark Pompano agreed that some of the challenges are rooted in the labor market, with employers offering “more flexibility and work from home,” and many businesses have grown and need more employees.

The highest hourly wage in the area is offered in Darien, which is offering $36 per hour, while the average is $27 per hour. Newtown is offering $24.60 to its armed officers and $20.45 to its unarmed security guards.

“It’s on our radar screen to look at salaries,” said Pompano.

Melillo said that the issue may be brought up at a future BOE meeting.

Pompano said when the school system was looking to start having security guards in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy, there were only two other schools in the state that had armed guards. One was Enfield.

But when local school representatives visited there while considering Newtown’s future practices, they saw the guards “dressed like military with exposed guns.”

“That’s not the model we wanted to follow,” said Pompano.

They then visited Branford, which was the first system in Connecticut with armed guards in schools. There, Pompano said the Newtown contingent saw guards were “all retired New Haven police officers,” with “soft clothing and concealed weapons.”

“We went with their model,” he said.

When the program first started, the armed guards were off-duty Newtown Police working overtime, and the unarmed guards were BOE employees.

“But there were a few bumps in the road,” according to Pompano, who said that then-First Selectman Pat Llodra asked former Superintendent Dr Joseph Erardi to designate all the guard positions with the district.

In 2015 and 2016, all armed guards were BOE employees working under Pompano’s and the superintendent’s supervision. Pompano is a former police officer.

The guard program has a “stringent hiring process” with three interviewers — Pompano, the town’s Human Resources director, and a ranking officer at the Newtown Police Department.

“If any one of those three does not feel good about a candidate, they are not hired,” said Pompano.

What Newtown does offer that Pompano said makes Newtown more competitive is a good, professional working environment, good benefits compared to other towns including more sick days, infrastructure many other towns do not have, and during the COVID pandemic, all guards were “kept whole” by receiving their pay while the schools were closed.

Additionally, the school system offers annual firearm training with the Newtown Police Department, one day mandatory, then four extra days including a range day and an active shooter simulation.

“That’s why a lot of people stay,” said Pompano. “We only had one guy [depart] recently.”

Melillo said the guards already working in Newtown see “the big picture,” but when hiring, getting someone to “sign on the dotted line” often comes down to the salary.

“It’s something that needs to be addressed,” said Melillo. “We are not the only game in town, we need to compete.”

Melillo said the closing of Hawley during a construction project was fortunate this year, which permitted the district to start with a surplus of security guards because Hawley was not requiring them. The school system also has three substitutes who “are great,” according to Pompano, but not interested in full-time positions.

When Hawley re-opens next year, however, the district will need a “full complement of guards,” said Melillo.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.