Council has approved an updated city funding arrangement with the Delta School District for the adult school crossing guard program.
A review of the program is undertaken every year and submitted for review. Subsequently, a proposed program for the upcoming year is to be submitted to the Delta Board of Education and council for their consideration.
There were 27 crosswalk locations in Delta attended by adult school crossing guards in 2021/22. The program cost $111,125, paid by the city.
Through a review, an additional school crossing guard has been included for Jarvis Elementary and another crossing guard was added for Hellings Elementary.
The city’s engineering department notes a crossing guard for South Park Elementary at 8A Avenue and Gilchrist Drive is no longer required following the installation of a new special crosswalk with flashing lights.
The new cost for the City Delta of is $114,125 for 2022/23.
In the spring of 1999, parents rallied against the school board’s decision to cut the district’s crossing guard program due to a $1.7 million budget shortfall. The crossing guard portion of the budget at the time was $107,000.
A council meeting that spring saw a large number of irate parents show up asking for the municipality to pick up the tab for the safety of their children.
A deal was then struck between the city and the school board that saw the municipality pick up that cost in exchange for Delta receiving enhanced use of school playing fields. The municipality would also provide a higher level of maintenance to some of the school fields to allow for increased usage and bring them up to municipal standards.
The memorandum of understanding saw Delta assume funding beginning in the fall of 1999 and the annual cost since then has been in the $100,000 range.
