This editorial appears in the Jan. 28, 2010, Yakima Herald-Republic.

When it comes to keeping school resource officers on the job, both the school district and police department have a lot to gain. The schools where the police officers patrol gain a measure of security while also proving to students that police can and should be trusted. The arrangement also helps the city police department maintain its officer corps, stop trouble before it gets worse and enhance its image in the community.

Just look at what happened Tuesday at Davis High School in Yakima. A school resource officer pulled aside a student involved in an argument with another classmate and discovered a handgun in the student's backpack. That gun had been reported stolen in King County. Imagine what could have happened if a police officer were not on the Davis campus that day?

But with the national economy in turmoil and state revenues in short supply, school districts are finding it increasingly difficult to foot the bill for these resource officers. Grants are harder to come by or gone. City budgets have also been stretched thin.

In some areas in the country, school districts have reached out to churches to help pay for the officers. Others have shared the cost among a network of cities -- a creative solution to a desperate situation.

And desperate accurately describes the situation for the Yakima School District, thanks to the state's record budget shortfalls. Central Washington's largest school district is facing potentially extensive layoffs if anticipated cutbacks in state funds indeed occur.

In hopes of engineering a way for the district to retain its resource officers, Superintendent Elaine Beraza has approached the city of Yakima about stitching together a funding stream to pay for officers at four of the district's campuses: Davis and Eisenhower high schools and Washington and Lewis and Clark middle schools.

The task is daunting.

First, there's the price tag. The district's four resource officers cost $363,000 for salary and benefits.

Next, there's a gap in service during the summer months. The district has no need for the officers during the summer, especially now that there are no plans, or money, for summer school programs. Why should the school district pay for three months of an officer's salary and benefits if that officer is not in the school?

That's why Beraza wants to share costs for the four officers. The school district would pay 75 percent while the city would pick up the remaining 25 percent.

Of course, Yakima has already tackled its share of cuts. The city's tight spending budget has little, if any, wiggle room.

But it's worth discussing and it's worth solving. Both the school district and the city have too much to lose for these resource officers to end up gone.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.