Just after 9 a.m. in the middle of May outside of Oakton Elementary School, crossing guard Deloris Finley stood on the sidewalk beside a bustling four-lane road.
She had just helped a mother and child cross Ridge Avenue, which has no designated crosswalk until further down the block. Finley said she wishes there was a stop sign or traffic signal at the location near the school. While speaking to The Daily, she witnessed an illegal turn at the intersection — something she said is very common.
“Eventually, they’re going to have a serious accident right here,” Finley said.
The continued employment of some crossing guards like Finley is now uncertain due to Evanston/Skokie School District 65’s budget shortfall. As the district works through Phase 3 of its Structural Deficit Reduction Plan, it aims to cut $16 million to $18 million from its budget by fiscal year 2030.
While the District 65 board has already enacted major budget cuts, closing Kingsley Elementary School and the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, the district is also considering cutting smaller items, including some crossing guard positions. Some community members and crossing guards like Finley said they think that decision could prove dangerous.
As of the district’s May 4 board meeting, each of the district’s about 55 crossing guards make about $13,000 a year. Proposed budget reductions could eliminate about 15 to 25 of those positions.
Historically, the city funded crossing guard positions. At the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, the city and district transitioned to a cost-sharing model, with the district gradually taking on more of the costs. By next fall, the district will assume the full cost of crossing guard salaries. However, during the same May 4 meeting, the board briefly discussed potentially introducing another cost-sharing model, which could reduce future expenditures.
Lincoln Elementary School crossing guard Dale Cooper said he has known his position was at risk of being cut since early last year. He said he finds his job rewarding and is worried about the implications of its potential elimination.
“Sometimes there are some kids that come without their parents,” Cooper said. “And I’m just apprehensive that there isn’t safety for them at times.”
Finley said she feels the same risks hold true at Oakton, where she sees kids walking to school alone every day, and drivers often “act like they don’t see” school children.
The specific intersections from which crossing guards will be cut and the final number of positions potentially being eliminated have not yet been determined.
Board member Maria Opdycke said she hopes the city and district can collaborate to determine optimal locations to make cuts, based on an analysis of the most commonly traveled walking routes for students.
“We (as the board) all care about students’ safety on their way to and from school,” Opdycke told The Daily earlier this month. “So I think if there are instances where we find that we need to move guards around, that’s where the partnership with the city to better understand (walking) traffic patterns and (walking) traffic flow (would be) important.”
All but one of the crossing guards interviewed by The Daily said they’d received no communication from the district or Andy Frain Services, which the district uses to contract the crossing guards, about budget cuts and impacts to individual positions. Cooper said he has been receiving information about the future of positions like his through news outlets, and Finley said she learns updates through “hearsay.”
The one exception is Willard Elementary School crossing guard Richard Peterson, who said he reached out directly to Andy Frain Services about a month ago. The company confirmed to him that his position was secure, Peterson said.
Many of the crossing guards also told The Daily they value the opportunity to build connections within the school community. Peterson said he has gotten to know some of the kids and parents who cross his intersection by name.
“This Friday’s the last day (of school),” Peterson said on June 2. “I’ll say, ‘You’re wonderful kids, have a good summer’ and all that sort of stuff. It’s nice to do that.”
Oakton crossing guard Muriel Irving also said she has formed relationships with students and parents who frequently cross her intersection.
“They all know my name,” Irving said. “Just like one that just went by, they said, ‘Thank you, Muriel.’”
Willard parent Jacob Noll said he walks his two kids to school every day. He said safety while crossing the street is “always a concern,” but he also understands why crossing guard cuts may be necessary considering the district’s broader financial challenges.
Noll said he still thinks it’s important for the district to understand which crossing guard cuts would pose the greatest threat to students.
“I think crossing guards always help with safety,” Noll said. “Would I love to have a crossing guard? Yes. But within the whole district, I know there’s some bigger streets that pose a little bit more of a danger to kids. So (we need to make) sure that we always focus on the streets that are more dangerous for students.”
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