Meanwhile, the school system says it doesn’t plan to get rid of crossing guards, despite the superintendent’s recent statement at a school board meeting that the school system is “going out of the crossing guard business.”

The city is already giving the Houston Independent School District all the money it can, Mayor Annise Parker said at a Wednesday press briefing.

"We spend the money that goes into that fund, and we spend all of the money that goes into that fund, and if we don't generate enough money in that fund, then that's all they get,” Parker said, as reported by KHOU-Channel 11 and MyFoxHouston.

HISD says the city still owes more than $400,000 from its most recent invoice it sent for reimbursement for the districts crossing guard program. The unpaid bills come at a time when the school system faces possible budget cuts of hundreds of millions of dollars,along with employee layoffs, due to the state's budget problems.

“We don’t take money from other (school districts) to give it to HISD. It is distributed to all of the (districts) that meet certain criteria as laid out by ordinance,” Parker said.

Texas Watchdog asked HISD about Grier’s response to the mayor’s statement. “We have no further comments on the matter,” HISD spokesman Jason Spencer said in an e-mail Thursday.

HISD also released a statement from HISD Chief Financial Officer Melinda Garrett said that safety is a “top priority” for the district:

“At HISD, school safety is a top priority. There is currently no proposal to end HISD’s crossing guard program. We are hopeful that the district and the City of Houston can come to an agreement regarding the reimbursement of funds. In these tough budget times, any additional monies we receive will go toward ensuring we provide Houston’s children the best education possible.”

At a February meeting with HISD trustees, Grier said trustees should write a “nice letter” to the city saying “we as a district are going out of the crossing guard business and we (HISD) would like you (the City) to assume the responsibility that your charter mandates."

The city’s contract with the schools says the money it reimburses HISD and other school systems for crossing guards can be drawn only from one particular pot of money, funded by a fee on parking tickets and a surcharge on vehicle registrations. That pot of money doesn't cover the complete costs of crossing guards at HISD and some other districts.

Parker says there is not much else the city can do.

"It's not that we have diverted money or moved money. We peel off a certain amount of the money, and it flows into the fund, and it is what it is," Parker said.

Watch the entire video story from My Fox Houston and KHOU-Channel 11 below.

HISD Sends City $1.5M Bill for Crossing Guards: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

***

Contact Lynn Walsh at lynn@texaswatchdog.org or 713-228-2850 or on Twitter at @lwalsh.

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Photo: Crossing guard at HISD's Field Elementary School, Lynn Walsh/Texas Watchdog.