Letter from SD61 regarding Crossing Guard Service Funding

RE: Crossing Guard Service Funding

I write further to our presentation to Mayor and Council on 10 January 2023 regarding funding for crossing guard service provision at schools within the Town of View Royal for the 2023-24 school year.

Firstly, it is important to acknowledge that since the inception of crossing guard services over 20 years ago, municipalities have continued to commit the funding required to provide these important services. On behalf of the Greater Victoria Board of Education, I would like to thank Mayor and Council for providing funding to support crossing guard services during the 2022-23 school year.

The Greater Victoria Crossing Guard Association provided crossing guard services with municipal funding support for many years. However, with the Greater Victoria Crossing Guard Association no longer operating, our School District has successfully taken on the role of administering crossing guard service provision, utilizing school district EA staff and supported by municipal funding. Our Board respectfully requests that Mayor and Council continue providing this funding for the 2023-24 school year on a cost recovery basis.

Currently, Eagle View Elementary and View Royal Elementary require crossing guards at three intersections resulting in five hours per day in EA staffing cost. The following three intersections in the Town of View Royal have crossing guards: Talcott Road & Watkiss Way, Watkiss Way & Burnside and Helmcken Road at the school entrance between Rudyard Road and Pheasant Lane. We estimate the cost to continue to provide these services at the three intersections in the 2023-24 school year will be $40,050 (to be adjusted once 2023-24 benefit costs have been confirmed).

In addition, we suggest that we work together to establish a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which will support stable funding and predictable service provision moving forward from year to year. We would like to meet at your earliest convenience to discuss establishing such a MOU.

We are confident that by working together in partnership we can continue to provide safe access to schools by way of municipal streets and roads.

Kindest regards,

Nicole Duncan Chair, Board of Education

cc: Board of Education, School District No. 61 Deb Whitten, Superintendent, School District No. 61 Katrina Stride, Secretary-Treasurer, School District No. 61