District 203 wants Naperville to debate crossing guard issue

Naperville Unit District 203 is balking at picking up the $85,000-a-year tab for school crossing guards at 10 intersections and is asking the city council to get involved.

Superintendent Mark Mitrovich said he recently met with City Manager Doug Krieger and police officials in an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate a better deal.

"Despite goodwill on both sides, the reality remains that the city is not in a position to fund these positions," Mitrovich said. "I would be remiss, I think, if I did not point out that (the district would be) accepting this responsibility as a means of helping out the city, but it's not the only way we go about that."

Mitrovich referenced the district's planned installation of detention basins, as part of Naperville Central High School's renovation, that he said would "result in savings into six figures for the city of Naperville and Naper Settlement, which more than offsets the cost of crossing guards."

Krieger said the city determioned crossing guards are a "non-core" or non-essential city service, such as police protection or snow plowing, after a major self-evaluation of city services.

He also noted that neighboring Indian Prairie Unit District 204 pays for its own crossing guards.

"We have no involvement in District 204's process, and their system works great," Krieger said. "We think that is a successful model that 203 could look to."

District 204 regards its crossing guards as part-time employees, and several hold other positions in the schools such as lunchroom monitors, District 204 spokeswoman Janet Buglio said.

District 203 board member Dave Weeks led the push to take the issue to the city, saying he's discussed it with some aldermen and that some may agree with the district. Weeks said he believes the city and police department are trying to pad their budget in difficult financial times by charging the district for the service for the first time.

"I think it should be a public discussion because I think this is a public safety issue. This is part of the budget discussion they are having so why not put it on their agenda and let the council people weigh in on it so they're on the record?" Weeks said. "I think the least we should do is hold their feet to the fire and let them take a public stand on it."

Krieger said if and when he receives the letter, he'll see if three or more councilmen want to discuss the issue; if they do, he'll put it on an upcoming agenda.

School board member Suzyn Price, an early holdout on approaching the city, said she felt the district might only be delaying the inevitable.

"As long as we're not playing chicken with our kids, who are crossing busy streets, and I don't think putting them on a bus and wasting more fuel and, you know, is a solution, either," she said before voting to draft the letter to the city's aldermen.