BAR HARBOR — The town council’s recent move in support of placing a police officer in a resource position at Mount Desert Island High School has met stiff resistance from several school board members, who had not been consulted in advance.

The most vocal opposition came from Gail Marshall of Mount Desert and Paul Murphy of Bar Harbor, veteran school board members who are stepping down this year. Both sent e-mails to council chairman Ruth Eveland, along with other school committee members, protesting the decision after last week’s article in the Islander alerted them of the move.

“I think it was out of line for the town council of one town, because this is a regional high school board, to make that recommendation,” Ms. Marshall told the Islander. “This wasn’t in any way contemplated by any member of the high school board. I think that was, to put it mildly, putting the cart before the horse.”

Mr. Murphy’s objections were based largely on process. The item on the council’s agenda was a report from Conners-Emerson School resource officer Tim Bland. Yet, town councilor Paul Paradis used the discussion to promote the idea of expanding the program to the high school, and councilors supported his recommendation unanimously.

“Any person on the school board can bring an idea in. I would think that you’d need to have a reason. If our reason was, because a Bar Harbor town councilor overextended himself on their agenda item … maybe that would be OK, but I don’t think it would be all that well received, and particularly the way it’s gone down now, I don’t think it will be well received,” Mr. Burton said.

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