Students' Walk to San Jose Elementary Could Cross Five-Lane Highway
The Pinellas County School Board's recent audit of the 2-mile walk zone for San Jose Elementary reveals that the city may have to shell out some cash for safety improvements so students can cross State Road 580.
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Some San Jose Elementary students may have to cross five lanes of traffic to get to school next year.
And Dunedin city officials are none too pleased.
The Pinellas County School Board recently issued a letter to the parents of 53 children affected by a miscalculation of the school system's 2-mile radius rule.
"Only those students residing more than 2 miles from their zoned school are eligible for transportation," writes Mike Burke, route and safety auditor for the Pinellas County School Board's Transportation Department.
Software used to calculate the walk zone radius from the school access points did not pick up on the pedestrian entrance at San Salvador and San Helen Drive, the letter states.
The school system said it would continue busing the students through the end of the 2012-2013 year, but starting next school year, the 53 students living in the area north of Beltrees Street and west of Patricia Avenue will have to find other ways to get to school — to include walking across the intersection where Main Street, State Road 580 and Skinner Boulevard converge.
Dunedin city officials are discussing the possibility of hiring three crossing guards and adding a cross walk to the intersection at Thursday's regular commission meeting at City Hall.
"Staff does not support the decision of the PCSB," a memo from City Manager Rob DiSpirito says. "It will be challenging, even with adult crossing guards, to safely shepherd elementary school children across a multi-lane divided state roadway (even at a signalized intersection). A PCSB transportation model which ignores the inherent dangers of elementary school children crossing SR 580 is flawed."
Three crossing guards would cost taxpayers $24,600 a year. The school system neither supplies nor subsidizes crossing guards. The city would also have to work in conjunction with the Florida Department of Transportation to add a crosswalk with curb ramps, which could cost $10,000, the city memo states.
"Though not of primary concern, it must be recognized that the PCSB's decision transfers costs to Dunedin that are neither available nor budgeted," the city memo points out.
Editor's Note: As of Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, at 1:26 p.m. this story reflects updated figures from the City of Dunedin.
In This article
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San Jose Elementary School
1670 San Helen Dr, Dunedin, FL -
Dunedin City Hall
542 Main St, Dunedin, FL
Mark Veldhuis
10:09 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Seems to me that they should just go to Dunedin Elemetry, and avoid the walk north.
kerstin veimau
11:00 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
I have to agree with Mark. The area named above is much, much closer to Dunedin Elementary then San Jose Elementary. Someone living on Beltress would have a 5 min. walk to Dunedin Elementary (about a block away) compare to a 30 min + walk to San Jose Elementary (crossing Main Street). This sounds very unpractical to me.
Wendy Gilmore
11:31 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
This is insane. Just since I moved here in 2004 there have been quite a few children hit and killed by cars in Pinellas County due to the school system not caring! When is it going to stop? They always fix the problem AFTER the child is killed. The walkway across McMullen Booth road is the perfect example of that! If you are going to put the responsibility on the cities, then keep the children going to school in their own district and share the county school taxes with the cities!
Lori
1:21 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
PCSB...ALL THOSE "SUITS" MAKING ALL THAT $$$ AND THEY HAVE THEIR HEADS UP THEIR BUTTS...
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS #5635, DUNEDIN
4:06 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
That's a recipe for disaster. If you could only see the way people drive on Main St. and turn off or turn onto Main St. They don't even stop before the crosswalk to check if any pedestrian or bicyclist is coming before they try to enter onto Main St. They are too much in a hurry to get where they are going. Better to relocate those children to Dunedin Elementary.
Ron Barnette
7:48 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
I concur entirely with our City Manager's assessment of the crossing situation should this not be resolved favorably. Elementary school children should not be walking to school across SR 580, as this decision not to transport these youngsters by the PCSB is flawed. As a Dunedin City Commissioner, it is not my place, btw, to tell qualified parents where to send their children, as some comments imply. It is my responsibility, however, to maximize protections for our school children, and that is what I shall continue to do, without exception.
Ron Barnette,
Dunedin City Commissioner.
Ron Robinson
9:47 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
2 miles? Ages 6 to 10? Who in their right minds let's an elementary school child walk 2 miles unattended. We are concerned when my 8 year old walks 2 blocks to San Jose, in a quiet neighborhood. WAKE UP! Thank you, commisioners, for at least realizing it may be a problem
Andrew Gracy
8:44 am on Thursday, January 10, 2013
My Dad used to walk 20 miles to school, in the snow, up hill BOTH ways!
Mary Roush
2:39 pm on Sunday, January 13, 2013
It used to be that the limit for elementary children to walk was 1 mile - what happened to that? And our new superintendent is spending our dollars to go to Germany to look at some new tech program - how about shelling out a few dollars to send put these little ones on busses?