School crossing guards would be eliminated with proposed 2009 budgetby John Paul (jpaul@wsbt.com)
South Bend Police are considering eliminating 37 crossing guard positions to save money. (WSBT photo) SOUTH BEND — Parents near school crossings are concerned about their children. The police department announced a series of reductions to save money. Thirty-seven crossing guards were on the list. Multimedia Related ContentSouth Bend Police say eliminating the 37 crossing guard positions would save the department nearly $500,000, but parents around South Bend are upset. They believe you can't put a price on safety. Thousands of children across South Bend will head back to school, sharing the road with cars. Crossing guards help students like Mitchell Mace's children to cross one end of a busy intersection to another, but in 2009, that could all change. "I've got four kids, two daughters and two sons," said Mace. "I don't want to see anything happen to them." Common council members detailed cuts to save $21 million. Cutting the guards saves $477,000. "It was nothing we wanted to do, nothing we anticipated doing," South Bend Police Chief Darryl Boykins said. "But, when you have to cut, you have to cut. Unfortunately, we have to." That leaves South Bend's schools with a dilemma. "At this point we're trying to come up with strategies. We're going to talk to the principals," said Interim Superintendent James Kapsa said. "We just got this information a few days ago." While the district searches for solutions, parents near Harrison and Madison schools say the intersections have major problems. Mace added, "Getting rid of the crossing guards, all they are doing is endangering our children's lives." "Even though there's speed limits and stop signs, there's speeding through the area, and a lot of traffic," said Jessica Leonardo. "To not have a crossing guard would be very risky with all of the young children in the area." Crossing guards will be present for the start of school next week. Officials from the school district and police department will be counting on community involvement over the next several months to find a solution. Most PopularMore Good Stuff |
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