City of Orange Cuts School Crossing Guard Program due to Budget Deficit

Parents in the Orange Unified School District are voicing concerns after the Orange City Council eliminated crossing guards at schools within the city to help address a $19 million budget shortfall.

At the August 27 Orange City Council meeting, around a dozen speakers urged city leaders to reconsider the decision.

Scott Resnick, an OUSD parent, told the council during public comment, "I've lived in Orange for most of my life, and ironically, the only time I've not felt safe here was this past week when I took my son to and from school and watched families play real life Frogger across Hewes [Street] and Esplanade [Street]."

OUSD campuses started the school year on August 21. Resnick requested the immediate rehiring of the city’s 14 part-time crossing guards.

The president of Orange Unified's teachers union was also critical of the council's decision.

“The responsibility of providing the safety of students on public city streets belongs to the City of Orange, not the school district. Let's be clear, this is about saving children's lives,” Greg Goodlander said at the meeting.

The council first voted to eliminate the crossing guard program at its June 11 regular meeting to save an estimated $425,000. Orange Mayor Dan Slater explained to KTLA: “[The deficit] is not anything new – we’ve had budget deficits going back to about 2010 – but we are finally trying to address that. Tough times call for tough measures, and we can’t spend money we don’t have.”  

In addition to cutting the crossing guard program, the city reduced funding for the library, and decided to cancel all "City-Sponsored Events," unless a sponsor stepped up to cover the costs. That includes the Treats in the Streets Autumn Festival in Old Towne which has an estimated cost of $67,800.

“This is not a good time to be throwing a party,” Mayor Slater said at the August 27 meeting of the trick-or-treating themed event. “I know it’s for children. I know it serves a lot of families and makes them very happy, but there’s still a huge cost.”

Orange is also asking voters to pass a half-cent sales tax increase on the November 5, 2024 ballot. The city estimates that bumping up the sales tax from 7.75% to 8.25% could generate $19 million annually.

The Orange Police Department managed the part-time crossing guard program and struggled to keep it staffed, reports the Orange County Register. Crossing guards were paid up to $19 per hour and worked part of their shift in the morning as kids arrived to school, and some hours in the afternoon when the school day ended.

Only the Orange Unified campuses within the City of Orange are impacted by the cuts. The district is stressing that safety is being maintained. "While the absence of crossing guards in Orange poses a challenge, the combined efforts of parents, schools, and the community can help maintain pedestrian safety, especially during school hours," OUSD spokesperson Hana Brake told ABC7.  

Some speakers at the August 27 meeting were against the suggestion that volunteers manage the crosswalks to campuses. “It makes me angry to have parents go volunteer. That is not right. That is not a volunteer job. That's a city job, to be fair,” one speaker said. 

Crossing Guard Program to be on Sept. 10 Council Agenda

The crossing guard program is expected to be discussed by the Orange City Council again. 

At the August 27 meeting, the council voted 4-2 to table an item that would have given a 3% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to senior managers at some city departments.

Councilmember Ana Gutierrez expressed a desire to approve the raises, but had concerns about the lack of crossing guards. 

“Where can we find money? Because I cannot in good conscience give a 3% COLA when we do not have crossing guards for our students and our children out in our city. But I don’t want to not give it to [city staff] because they do deserve it,” she said.

Gutierrez requested a detailed accounting of the $425,000 cost of the crossing guard program. She and Councilmember Jon Dumitru directed city staff to provide this information for a discussion at the September 10 meeting. The 3% COLA increase is also expected to be back on the agenda.

In a recent phone interview, OUSD parent Scott Resnick told Spotlight Schools he plans to be at next week's meeting. “I’ll be back, and hope others will be,” he said.

It's unclear if the crossing guards will be reinstated, but councilmembers are open to further discussion.

Councilmember John Gyllenhammer said at the August 27 meeting, “I’ve got two kids. I voted to remove the crossing guards just given the budget constraints. I’m willing to revisit that,” but cautioned, “It’s still a cost and I think it’s significant."

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of the name of Hewes Street.