Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District: crossing guards, federal funds for Chromebooks and superintendent's Monday Messages

 

Funding for two programs that benefit students attending local schools has been approved by Yorba Linda City Council members and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees.

One of Yorba Linda's longest-standing civic responsibilities – providing school crossing guard services – recently was approved on a 5-0 vote for the current school year under a new three-year contract that drew only two bids in response to the city's advertisements.

The city began providing crossing guards soon after incorporation, with service that started in 1969. Since then, the program has grown so that the familiar yellow-vested guards now cover 23 intersections throughout the 20-square-mile city.

Total cost for the three years under the new pact will be close to $1.3 million, with $409,687 spent in the current fiscal year for 23 guards working some 78 hours for each of 180 school days. In all, the city will be providing 14,040 hours of crossing guard services this school year.

The winning bidder was Santa Fe Springs-based All City Management Services, which bid the city contract at $32.08 per hour. A second bidder at $30 per hour was “deemed unresponsive” because the company did not include all of the city's requirements in its proposal.

In subsequent negotiations, All City Management lowered the per-hour rate to $29.18, which reduced the first-year cost $41,000. The company specializes in crossing guard services and provides personnel for 13 of the 16 county cities that responded to a survey from city officials.

The contract allows two additional one-year renewals after the three-year contract term. All City Management has provided the crossing guards for the city's intersections for 19 years.

School district trustees recently voted 5-0 to use federal funds to pay part of the $2.6 million cost for new Chromebook laptop computers for elementary, middle and high school students.

The cash will pay for 4,101 new Chromebooks for middle and high school students and replace 3,168 obsolete Chromebooks for elementary school students and other technology needed by the district through Dec. 31.

The Emergency Connectivity Fund will reimburse the district $1.2 million from a $7.171 billion allocation for schools and libraries administered by the Federal Communications Commission.

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Part of newly hired Superintendent Alex Cherniss' emphasis on “expanding our community outreach” is a regular “Monday Message” newsletter now available on the district's website.

The Aug. 21 newsletter notes that this year's “primary focus will be on bringing all of our students up to grade level and beyond through targeted academic support, foundational curriculum supplementation and after-school intervention programs.”

Also, he's launched four advisory committees to meet bimonthly for one hour online via Zoom for elementary, middle, high school and special education parents and guardians.