The possible elimination of crossing guards for students at Congin School and Wescott Junior High has caused concern for parents, officials and the guards themselves.

The school department sent out a letter to parents earlier this month saying that the city would not be funding crossing guards in next year’s budget and asking for volunteers to come forward to fill the positions.

The four crossing guards account for $36,000 in the Westbrook Police Department’s budget, but Chief Bill Baker said no decisions have been made about cutting them out altogether.

“The budget dilemma for the city is painfully obvious,” Baker said.

Baker said he would prefer to eliminate crossing guards before a uniformed officer. He said he had only reached out to the school department to talk about the possibility of eliminating the guards and what options – like finding volunteers – were possible.

“The fact is that nothing’s been decided,” he said.

However, School Committee member Alex Stone said people he’s talked to have assumed that the decision has been made.

“The impression that everybody has is that this is going to happen,” he said.

According to City Councilor Suzanne Joyce, the letter has gotten people talking.

“There’s been so much buzz,” she said, among parents and city officials.

But City Council President Brendan Rielly said that it was premature for anyone to panic about the possibility.

“I’m sure there’s going to be more discussion” both by the administration and by councilors, Rielly said, once the budget has been handed to them next month.

But that doesn’t mean Rielly, whose own children use the crosswalks, takes the matter lightly.

“I think everyone’s concern is that you have to protect the kids,” he said.

That’s the top priority, too, for crossing guards, like Theresa Hoffman, who see first hand just how necessary the positions are.

Working at the corner of Bridge and Cumberland streets Tuesday afternoon, Hoffman signaled to school buses and guided Congin School students across the street. Her hand motions were quick and deliberate, as she directed traffic from the middle of the intersection.

During the past four years, Hoffman, in her bright yellow vest, has become a morning and afternoon fixture for everyone coming to and from the schools. During her shift, bus drivers, police officers and parents all wave to Hoffman as they drive by. She doesn’t know who all of them are, but she always smiles and waves back.

It gets cold in the winter, she said, but getting to chat with people, from regular customers at Severino’s to students who keep her posted on their grades, makes it worth it.

Hoffman, who lives in Westbrook, said she gets recognized all around town and has even been stopped at the mall in South Portland.

“We don’t think it’s wise,” she said about not having crossing guards.

Hoffman said Baker brought all the guards into the station to let them know there was a possibility that the positions would be cut, but it became much more of a reality when she saw the letter sent home from school with her own son.

Hoffman said she’s seen more than a few close calls.

She said a lot of drivers don’t obey the sign prohibiting right turns at red lights, and she’s had to yell to children in the street who don’t see the turning cars.

“I worry about the kids,” she said.

Theresa Hoffman directs traffic on the corner of Bridge and Cumberland streets Tuesday afternoon, allowing Congin School students to cross the street safely. The four crossing guards positions may not be funded in next year’s budget.

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