GARDEN GROVE : Panel Urges Shifting City Costs to Schools

A citizens advisory committee’s recommendations to reduce city spending by transferring some costs to the Garden Grove Unified School District have touched off protests from educators.

Faced with a $5.7-million deficit, the Citizens Committee on Government Efficiency proposes cuts of $2 million from the upcoming budget.

The panel told City Council members last week that they should consider handing over to the school district the costs of maintaining district-owned parks for a savings to the city of $118,570; the school crossing-guard program, a $152,000 savings; and the DARE program, a $100,000 savings.

Committee Chairman Curt Pringle, who is also a Republican candidate for the 68th Assembly District, said he believes the school district “has the potential” to find the money for the programs.

But School Supt. Ed Dundon bristled at the proposals, asserting that it is the city’s responsibility, not the district’s, to provide crossing guards. The DARE program also is a police function and is at least partially financed by a grant, he said.

“There’s no way we will use school money for traffic (crossing guards),” he said. “I don’t see us performing legitimate city operations with the educational dollar.”

The parks are school-owned land that the city uses. If the district gets hit with park maintenance costs, it will maintain the open land as a playground and not as a high-use component of the park system, Dundon said.

“Nobody ever talked to us about this,” a perturbed Dundon said, referring to the recommendations.

Councilman Frank Kessler, though lauding the panel and saying its recommendations deserved a serious look, claimed that city officials over the years have explored the options raised by the committee and found them to be infeasible.

The six-member citizens committee also suggests eliminating some Police Department programs, including the canine unit; and suspending pay, meals and conference attendance for city commissioners.