FARMINGTON – Mt. Blue High School junior Andy Cote said it would be a real loss if Farmington police Officer Bridgette Gilbert wasn’t at his school every day.

“She is valuable. She helps people out with all kinds of problems, whether it’s with a girlfriend or something going on at home,” the 17-year old from Wilton said.

“Nothing against the administration, but a lot of kids won’t go to them if they want to talk about a problem. Bridgette is good to talk to and she can sort out problems herself, right away. She is doing her job,” he said.

“Without her, I think there would be things here that would slide by,” he said. “She knows everything going on.”

He said he knows some kids don’t like her just because she’s a cop. “But I like her and I think most everyone else likes her. She is here to help,” he said.

Gilbert and Deputy Chief Shane Cote (no relation to Andy Cote) met this week with the Mt. Blue Regional School District board to talk about the position. Five administrators spoke in support of the program and the critical connections Gilbert makes that promote a safe learning environment.

“When I think about a resource officer, I don’t think about solving crimes,” Mt. Blue Principal Monique Poulin said. “I think about how Bridgette is a resource to us and that is what students and staff use her for every day. We are lucky to have her in our building.”

“She personally is a wonderful connection between students and staff,” Poulin said. What Gilbert does best is help prepare students for learning,” she said.

During budget-cutting talks last spring, a suggestion was made to reduce the resource officer’s hours to save money. Another idea was to move the program to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in Farmington because it has jurisdiction over the eight other district towns.

Neither proposal was pursued. The board, however, agreed to discuss the position at a future meeting.

In the Mt. Blue cafeteria on Wednesday, a 14-year old girl said she likes Gilbert and chats with her every day.

“She was someone I could talk to when I had a really big issue going on in my life,” said the girl, whose name could not be used without her parents’ permission.

Gilbert’s shift begins at about 7:30 a.m. during the school year.

On Tuesday, her log showed a girl came in a 8:10 a.m. to complain about harassment, which the officer noted was addressed.

An entry shows a teacher asked Gilbert to get an officer to check out a suspicious-looking man seen walking on Clover Mill Road before school. Done.

Then there was the daily parking-lot patrol she does with Poulin to look for anything out of the ordinary. Gilbert daily helps administrators monitor the halls between classes and the cafeteria at lunch. And in between, there were many one-on-one contacts with staff and students.

And there are the investigations if a crime has been committed on school property. Gilbert is also Farmington’s sex assault and child abuse investigator.

“I have kids in my office all the time, and it is not always complaints. They come in to talk,” Gilbert told directors.

Kids trust her and open up about family problems, relationships, domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, legal problems, and below-the-radar things going on in school, she said.

Students in trouble with the police will seek her advice on what to do. When she can, she contacts the officer involved so she can learn more about the case and explain it to the student, she said.

Staff also share their concerns with her about students who may be in trouble outside of school or who have problems at home.

Behind the scenes, she is on the district’s crisis team along with a social worker, school nurse, administrators and counselor. The group meets monthly to talk about issues such as suicide concerns and emergency protocols.

She is involved with the Student Assistance Team that every week, meets to discuss at-risk students, substance abuse alerts, or work on action plans for troubled teens.

And her contacts and clout with local and state agencies and service providers mean she knows how to get in touch with the right person when needed, officials said.

Assistant Principal Randy Cook, guidance counselor Ben Milster, Foster Career and Technical Center Director Glenn Kapiloff, Mt. Blue Middle School Principal Gary Oswald and Poulin were united in their recommendation to retain the resource officer’s job and their appreciation of the job Gilbert has done since 2005.

“The kids recognize her when she visits and she is a good bridge between the two schools. They know she is someone they can trust to help them,” Oswald said.

According to Shane Cote, the district reimburses the town of Farmington about $28,000 a year for Gilbert’s 175-day position as a school resource officer. During summers and school vacations, Gilbert is paid about $10,400 a year by the Farmington Police Department for working patrol.

In the past three years, Gilbert has filed 204 documented cases at the high school. That far surpasses the less than 400 calls since 1999 for fire, police and ambulance services, which inlcude faulty fire alarms and bomb threats,  at all district schools, he said.

“The need is clearly at the high school,” Cote said.

Gilbert, who is also a Franklin County deputy, covers the W.G. Mallett Elementary School, Mt. Blue Middle School, and Cascade Brook School, all in Farmington. Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon historically has had a relationship with Maine State Police and the sheriff’s office, Principal Cheryl Pike said. Wilton police have jurisdiction over Cushing and Academy Hill schools in that town.