SPS, city vetting $177K bid for crossing guard contract

During a joint meeting yesterday between Springfield City Council and the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education, officials said a $177,480 bid is being vetted for a third-party crossing guard program.

Officials did not release the name of the vendor, which was narrowed down from five that responded to a request for proposal. The contract has not yet been given the go-ahead by city and school district officials, who haven't ironed out all the details, according to the Sept. 24 crossing-guard proposal presentation.

The contract with the vendor is on the table until Nov. 18, and another study session on the proposal is planned Oct. 7. While city and SPS officials agreed yesterday to hire a third-party vendor, it has not yet been determined how the proposal would be funded or administered, according to a news release.

Another option, proposed by the city, calls for spending $140,900 - and splitting the cost with SPS - on a vendor for the 27 crossing locations inside city limits. However, this separate proposal does not include seven out-of-city crosswalks. The vendor who submitted the $177,480 bid would manage all 34 crosswalks if it wins the contract.

Currently, the locations inside city limits are administered by the Springfield Police Department, and the school district administers locations outside city limits.

Council and the school board originally met during a joint session last November to investigate the possibility of using a third party, brought on by a current system officials say isn't up to par. The presentation yesterday notes crossing locations sometimes go unstaffed. With a historical absentee rate of 10 percent, officials are sometimes not aware of no-shows until after the fact. Presenters also said the current program is a strain on administrative staff, and it's difficult to recruit and retain employees for the part-time positions.

“While we have many hard-working, dedicated school crossing guards, we also know there are sometimes gaps in coverage that both organizations scramble to fill," Mayor Bob Stephens said in the release. "There must be a better way to provide backup. We as a community can do better. In fact, our citizens expect us to do better."