Here's a thought I've had about saving money regarding our School Crossing Guards. Many, if not all, of our schools do not permit their students to leave the school premises for lunch unless they are escorted by a parent or guardian yet we are paying the Crossing Guards $71.00 per day. Why not not let them just work the morning arrival and afternoon release times. We have 18 "guarded" crossings. If we could save $20 per guard per day, based on a 40 week school year, that would save us $72,000 per year. Something to think about.
Our website has our proposed budget info. plus we have a Meeting coming up on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011 to hear Citizen Comments on the proposed budget. The sooner you can share your ideas or suggestions with us, the better chance we have to research the impact it might have and possibly include it in our plans for 2012.
Councilman Ernie
posted by Ernie Odierna @ 11:46 PM
2 Comments:
Anonymity is not the enemy, failure to use good information and make good decisions are it.
But we’ve have heard that some of your colleagues, while objecting to anonymous comments from constituents, feel that cameras recording some Board discussion sessions would prevent Board members from speaking the truth of was on their minds.
Could someone explain?
Crossing guards are as American as Apple Pie. Those that are at streets any particular person uses is to them as American as Homemade Apple Pie.
It is a strange point of NY law that crossing guards for schools are part of the Town budget rather than the school budget. But an alternative would be to eliminate "crossing guards" from the Town budget and have some school personnel, of course within union rules, "assist" students cross streets at the schools. How odd would that be? What about the role of parents?
Likely, there is little real data or knowledge of the walking traffic or effectiveness of the crossing guards at many intersections where they are placed within the Town. We need to know.
As the "crossing guards" are likely "civilian" staff of the Town PD, at hours when students are in the buildings, why could these same persons not be used for parking and other and code enforcement? Do we need permission from Albany? Maybe what is now the expense of crossing guard could be converted to a "break-even" budget impact or even a revenue source, while making our Town look, sound, and function better. The Town code is full of rules that are not enforced or not enforced evenly.
Keeping all the crossing guards doing as they've done in the past, helping people walk across the street, when no one is walking - everyone is is a car, just doesn't make sense.
The way we've always done it, is a reason for much, just not a good reason.
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