EDITORIAL

It doesn’t seem that difficult. Kids and busy streets don’t mix. And

where students are crossing a street, there ought to be a crossing guard

to protect them.

What possible problem could there be?

In the case of Killybrooke Elementary School, the problem appears to be

that same old bureaucratic red tape tangling up Costa Mesa officials who

say a crossing guard there just isn’t “in the budget.”

This comes even though parents want a crossing guard and someone is

willing to volunteer for the position.

How can there not be room in the budget for a volunteer?

Even if the city had to pay a person in the position, its argument simply

doesn’t hold up. What if a raging fire burned down City Hall? Could they

not rebuild it because that wasn’t “in the budget”? Isn’t that what

budget amendments are for?

The need for the crossing guard came up this year -- after the city had

approved its budget that included crossing guards for several other

schools. The intersection clearly qualifies for the added protection. A

study found that more than 80 students cross in the morning and more than

50 in the afternoon, when the city’s threshold for a guard is just 40

students. Hiring a crossing guard at the school would cost the city an

extra $3,000.

As Killybrooke PTA President Joyce Christiansen said: “A child’s life is

worth any amount of money.”

So, what is the problem?

City officials say that a crossing guard shortage has resulted in a few

vacant positions elsewhere in the city, so they can’t hire a guard at

Killybrooke until those jobs are filled. The city told Killybrooke

officials that the parent volunteer would have to fill one of those empty

positions before a guard could be stationed at Killybrooke.

Where is the logic in that?

If the city can’t find the people to fill those slots, it should be up to

the parents at those particular schools to step in and help out.

This whole headache could have been avoided had city staffers simply used

common sense and recommended a budget amendment to City Council members

as soon as the problem arose.

It appears that will have to happen now anyway, and in the meantime we

have all lost just a little more confidence in government.