School crossing guard budget down

County is spending $770,000 less on crossing guards than in 2010

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According to information received from the Nassau County Police Department, nearly three-quarters of a million dollars has been sliced out of the county’s budget for school crossing guards since 2010.

The information, received as part of a Freedom of Information Law request to the Nassau County Police, show that in 2010, the county was spending $9,245,331 on 419 school crossing guards – both full and part-time. In 2015, 400 crossing guards were employed in a full or part-time capacity, with their salaries totaling $8,474,491.

The Nassau County Police Department, which accounts for the largest slice of expenditures in the county, had a budget of $463 million in 2015.

In 2014, 40 county school crossing guards had jumped at the opportunity to retire early, based on a county incentive program. At that time, there were 408 full and part-time crossing guards employed by the county. Though County Executive Ed Mangano said at that time that he anticipated many positions to be hired back the following year, the number had actually decreased to 400 crossing guards in 2015.

Nassau County Police did not respond to several requests for more information regarding current and anticipated school crossing guard employment.

Several Nassau County-employed school crossing guards in our coverage area refused to speak on the record for this article.