The City of Orange will likely bring back crossing guards at schools this academic year after facing public outcry for nixing a longstanding program amid budget cuts made over the summer.
On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously voted to direct city staffers to work on developing an outsourced crossing guard program negotiated with a private vendor. City officials said outsourcing is the only viable option given the city’s recent struggles to recruit and retain crossing guards through an in-house program.
For more than 50 years, the city had funded crossing guards near many Orange elementary and secondary schools. But by the end of last school year, the program had 16 crossing guards and more than 20 vacancies. Shortly thereafter, the council voted to cut the program along with many other community services as part of measures to address a longstanding multimillion-dollar structural budget deficit.
The city has a half-cent local sales tax measure on this November’s ballot, and as recently as Tuesday night continued austerity measures by indefinitely postponing cost of living adjustments for senior city staff.
Outsourcing the crossing guard program will likely cost the city significantly more money per guard compared to the in-house program, according to cost estimates in a staff report. However, the exact cost to the city is still undetermined.
Councilmembers suggested they consider priority staffing at the 16 locations most recently manned instead of staffing all school locations. They also discussed possibly capping funding for the program at $254,272, the amount the city spent on the program last year. Given more expensive quotes for an outsourced program, some councilmembers worried that number would be insufficient while others worried spending more would be imprudent.
All City Management Services, or ACMS, which currently provides crossing guard services for several Orange County agencies, gave Orange a preliminary quote for 16 crossing guards at a cost of $32.81 per hour, for a total annual not-to-exceed cost of $377,971. A second quote for a full slate of 39 crossing guards, compensated four hours a day for 180 days, would cost Orange $30.47 per hour, for a total annual not-to-exceed cost of $855,594.
In comparison, Orange had previously budgeted $425,000 for its city-run crossing guard program with a pay scale for guards ranging between $17.15 and $19.40 per hour. It spent less than that due to the staffing vacancies.
The ACMS cost-per-hour, while significantly higher, includes the cost of labor, recruitment, background checks, training, equipment and supervision.
Orange County Second District Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento sent a representative from his office to Tuesday’s council meeting to say that his office will look for county funds to help Orange offset the cost of this program.
Councilmember Jon Dumitru also requested that city staff engage with the Orange Unified School District to look at cost-sharing with them. Other councilmembers were on the same page.
“I really appreciate the supervisor stepping up,” Mayor Dan Slater said, adding the school district should be approached. “We need their participation.”
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