Parents and students plead with council to extend crossing-guard funding beyond March 2025
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Summary
During public comment the council heard repeated pleas from students, parents and school representatives to secure funding for the crossing-guard program beyond March 2025 and to identify alternative funding sources to keep the program running through the school year.
Scores of speakers during the Dec. 13 public-comment period urged the City Council to extend funding for the crossing-guard program, which several commenters said is currently funded only through March 2025.
Students, parent leaders and school officials described daily safety benefits and asked the council to identify local or alternative funding to continue the program through the end of the school year. "This program is vital for the safety of our students," one high-school student said; other student speakers recounted near-miss incidents and urged the council to prioritize continued funding.
Council staff reiterated the current funding timeline and explained the process for identifying resources; members asked staff and the department of transportation to search for funding options and to report back. The council did not take a final vote on a funding extension during the meeting but instructed staff to raise the issue with relevant departments.
Speakers who identified themselves as student leaders and representatives of school-based offices consistently asked the council to prioritize sustaining the service beyond March 2025, arguing that the program reduces traffic risk for the most vulnerable students and families.