O'ahu schools lose 55 crossing guards

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer

The number of crossing guards at O'ahu's public schools has been cut by nearly one-third, affecting dozens of campuses and removing a key safety measure for thousands of children.

Phil Mislinski, parent of a first-grader at Sunset Beach Elementary, said not having a crossing guard at the school is "at the point of being criminally negligent."

"The work trucks and big semi-trucks rarely slow down to 25 mph through the school zone," he said. "They're quite often doing 40 to 45 (mph) and there's tons of kids from kindergarten to sixth grade who have to cross."

The Honolulu Police Department, which administers the program, expressed regret but said budget cuts forced the reduction from 170 guards to 115.

HPD has had perennial problems hiring enough crossing guards, with 10 or 12 slots sometimes going unfilled, but the department usually has had enough to cover the 134 schools that qualify for a traffic monitor. However, this is a significant cut — believed to be the first ever for the longtime program — and it has police and school officials scrambling to keep students safe.

Passive safety measures are still in place at most schools, such things as crosswalks and flashing lights, and school officials and staff are trying to man crosswalks at key times. However, there's no denying that a loss of 55 crossing guards leaves a big hole in the safety program.

About three dozen schools that qualify for a crossing guard will not get one this year, and numerous other campuses used to getting two or more guards will have to make do with just one, according to HPD.

Meanwhile, police are transferring the available guards to the schools that need them most — particularly those along busy Farrington and Kamehameha highways, where traffic is heavy and students are most at risk.

Sunset Beach Elementary School is among the schools considered to have the greatest need.

Traffic was heavy on Kamehameha Highway fronting the school during the half-hour before classes began on Wednesday. No substitute crossing guard was on duty, and students stood off the shoulder of the road behind a stone wall, waiting for motorists to stop.

Dozens of automobiles passed before one stopped. Occasionally, parents helping their kids get to school stopped traffic so that others could cross, too.

Student Daniel Bachmann, 11, said crossing the road can be dangerous because of drivers who are speeding, talking on their cell phones or passing on the right, barely missing waiting students.

Peter Ebel, also 11, said: "It looks like an accident waiting to happen."

During surf season, traffic is worse because there's more of it and people are focusing on waves instead of driving, Ebel said.

Dali Sullivan, whose daughter attends Sunset Beach, said cutting the number of guards reflects the low priority Hawai'i gives its schools and children. The structure is there to protect children, but there's not enough money, Sullivan complained.

Still, Sunset is one of the "lucky" schools because HPD has placed it on the priority list of campuses that will get a guard somehow, said Sgt. Mark Boyce, program coordinator.

Boyce has the unpleasant task of telling some schools that their need isn't as great as that of another. All 115 guards have been allocated.

The crossing guard program fell victim to a $1.5 million budget cut suffered by HPD, said Maj. Susan Ballard, with the department's Finance Division. The cut was part of city belt-tightening as officials struggled to balance the budget.

The program was once operated by the state, but years ago the Legislature transferred the responsibility to HPD. Maj. Bryan Wauke, who heads the Traffic Division that oversees the program, said police officers have filled in on occasion for crossing guards but are unable to provide the service regularly and still keep up with their other duties.

Crossing guard programs on the Big Island and Maui have not been cut, according to their coordinators, but not all positions have been filled. Calls to Kaua'i about its programs were not returned.

Meanwhile, principals and parents on O'ahu do what they can and hope for the best.

Lanikai Elementary principal Donna Estomago said she is appalled at the elimination of the crossing guard positions. Her school had one guard last year. This year, she's pinning her hopes on volunteers, though she doesn't have any yet.

Potential solutions are scarce at Kapolei Middle School, said principal Annette Nishikawa.

"We just don't have the manpower or the knowledge to go out there and direct traffic," Nishikawa said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.