The Gainesville City school board announced Monday that it has hired 10 armed guards to be stationed at its nine schools.
Each elementary and middle school will have its own armed guard with two assigned to Gainesville High School. The guards started Oct. 18.
“The guards come from varied backgrounds with a combined 296 years of experience from law enforcement to executive protection, military, private investigation and beyond,” said school district spokeswoman Joy Griffin in a news release. She said the guards will work 190 days per year and will be paid between $45,000 and $66,000 based on years of experience. The guards will undergo continuous firearm training, she added.
All guards will report to the newly appointed Safety and Security Manager, Bonner Burton, who has 27 years of experience with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. Burton will be the “first line of communication” for the armed guards as well as the district’s five school resource officers with the Gainesville Police Department.
“The safety of our students is a combination of high visibility, managing relationships and diligence in building and maintaining a secure campus,” Burton said.
The board approved $1 million in additional security funding in July in the wake of the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, which killed two teachers and 19 children.
“Mr. Burton has put together a solid team and will now begin training and implementation of these new positions and roles,” said Superintendent Jeremy Williams in a news release. “We were encouraged to have more than 50 applicants for this new role and have hired an outstanding group.”
The armed guards and their assigned schools are below.
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Michael Ledford — Gainesville High School
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Christopher Scott Ware — Gainesville High School
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Bartley Wilson — Gainesville Middle School East Campus
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Avery Niles — Gainesville Middle School West Campus
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Steven Klein — Centennial Arts Academy
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Todd Eason — Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy
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Nathaniel Mills — Fair Street International Academy
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George Villaverde — Gainesville Exploration Academy
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David Padron — Mundy Mill Arts Academy
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Tift Mattox — New Holland Leadership Academy
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