Thanks to CUB’s initiative, the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners has asked the State Retirement and Pension System of Maryland for an actuarial evaluation of the retirement benefits and requirements for school police. Unlike most police officers in the state, who are eligible to retire after 20 to 25 years of service depending on when they started working, the school police have a 30-year requirement to receive full benefits, says CUB labor relations specialist Maxine Holmes.

Once the study is complete, CUB plans to make its case to the Maryland Legislature that school police should be under the state’s Law Enforcement Officers’ Pension System, not the public employees retirement system.

Among the union’s points: Baltimore City school police have the same training as other law enforcement officers in the state, carry weapons and have full arrest authority.

“The stress is the same,” says Holmes, adding that the school force can be called up by the mayor or the governor to respond to any city or state crisis.

The study is being funded jointly by CUB and the board of commissioners. The AFT research and information services department has contributed toward the pension study as well. The evaluation is expected to be completed by January. CUB represents 100 Baltimore City school police officers.