District 21 discusses splitting crossing guard costs with Buffalo Grove

The Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 school board Thursday discussed a proposed intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Buffalo Grove to continue splitting the cost of crossing guards at three district intersections. Board members want staff to seek modifications in the draft agreement, including how much crossing guards are paid, before they vote on the deal next month, a district spokeswoman said.

District 21 and Buffalo Grove have been splitting the cost of crossing guards since Aug. 24.

Days before District 21 students started school in August, the district sent robocalls to parents notifying them Buffalo Grove would no longer be providing crossing guards at the three intersections.

Buffalo Grove said the district owed the village $24,000 for crossing guard services from the past two years, and they told the district they planned to yank the crossing guards if district didn't make any move to pay up. District 21 officials said they had never agreed to pay for the crossing guards and that the responsibility should fall on the village.

Both parties reached a temporary, two-month, agreement the Friday before school started to each pay half the crossing guard costs.

A draft of the intergovernmental agreement proposes District 21 and Buffalo Grove each continue paying half the direct costs for crossing guards.

"The draft includes the language both parties worked on up until this time," District 21 Spokeswoman Kara Beach said.

She said administrators at Thursday's meeting were looking for direction from the board regarding any changes they wanted to see in the draft.

"The direction from the board was to pursue some more agreeable terms," Beach said, including phasing in the district's payments and paying crossing guards for 1.5 hours of work daily rather than the current 3 hours. Beach said crossing guards are paid for a minimum of 3 hours even though they typically work less.

There is no mention in the draft of the $24,000 Buffalo Grove said District 21 owed for the last two years of services.

"We would need to have it in the intergovernmental agreement to discuss it," Beach said.

Beach says the school board is expected to vote on the intergovernmental agreement at its Oct. 15 meeting.