Between 18 and 20 crossing guard positions will be eliminated in Westfield, starting in September, some of the many job cuts the town has planned in the proposed 2010 budget.
"We anticipate there will be a reduction of 18 to 20 posts in September" for the new school year, said Councilman Mark Ciarrocca, chairman of the finance policy committee.
The Town Council's full proposed budget and the presentation made at Tuesday's meeting are expected to be on the town's website on Wednesday.
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Which locations will lose crossing guards will be determined by the public safety committee in conjunction with police, the Board of Education and other groups, town administrator Jim Gildea said. The police have suggested, for example, cutting posts where a traffic signal already exists. Town officials have also been meeting with pedestrian safety advocacy groups.
Mayor Andy Skibitsky said its unlikely crossing guards right near each school will be eliminated because there are more students needing them at those points.
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Rodica Ursu, a resident who spoke at the meeting, was concerned how parents would know about those decisions, especially if they are made over the summer when many families leave town.
The exact number of positions is not known because the dollar amount cut from the crossing guards portion of the budget could come from changes in wages or other expenses, Ciarrocca said. The proposed cut comes as a result of a decrease in the amount of non revenue being generated by the town government. The budget proposal, first unveiled by Ciarrocca last week, includes a variety of program and position cuts, along with the spending of most of the town's surplus.
The town has 58 crossing guards now, he said, "substantially more than neighboring towns" even when accounting for how much bus service each school district provides. He's also still open to asking parents to volunteer to fill in where crossing guards need to be cut.
Another resident said that won't work because so few parents are willing to walk their children to school already; more people are just driving their children to school. Ciarrocca has said he is also planning to meet with the BRAKES group to discuss the possibility of creating more walking school bus routes for the next school year.
