The City of Allen and the Allen Independent School District (AISD) have been splitting costs associated with salaries of crossing guards for decades. The existing resolution that supports this arrangement indicated fixed wages for crossing guards (at 1987 wages). Therefore the resulting split between agencies is no longer 50/50 as was originally intended (since the wages have changed considerably since 1987). This proposed new agreement, although originally intended to cure the outdated wage discrepancy, also updates several other policy-related matters associated with managing school traffic to match current practices and efforts. The AISD will still hire and manage school crossing guards and other personnel necessary, as they do currently. The City will pay 50% of the salaries of the crossing guards stationed within the City limits (Lindsey Elementary is in McKinney and the City of Allen will not be responsible for those costs).
A Traffic Safety Committee, composed of members of AISD staff and City of Allen staff (representatives from Police, Fire, Parks, and Engineering Departments), meet monthly to discuss traffic safety concerns throughout the City - including matters related to school traffic. In addition to collaborating within this committee on various traffic issues affecting both agencies, city staff also worked with the AISD staff to create a Traffic Control Devices for School Zones document in 2017. This document contains the guidelines for placing and retaining school crossing guard locations and other safety devices, establishing community expectations, and creating a framework for reliable chain of communication.
This agreement expires July 31, 2019; however, it will automatically renew each year unless terminated by either party.