City Of Superior Preps Raise For Crossing Guards

A jump in pay for crossing guards employed by the City of Superior crossed the initial hurdle.  The Human Resources Committee approved the request that was in front of them to raise the rate of pay.

City officials hope that the pay increase not only helps make the positions more attractive to people - helping them fill some vacant spots - but also helps them retain the current crossing guards they have.

An article in the Superior Telegram [paywall] outlines the situation.  Speaking about the potential pay raise, Superior Police Chief Nicholas Alexander says:

"I'm not sure what type of impact it would have on, in terms of desirability or increasing applicants, but it was pretty clear that we were substantially lower than most other departments our size or community our size in compensation for crossing guards."

Historically, the city has had a problem keeping all of the available crossing guard slots filled.  Right now Superior has two open positions that don't have someone in them and a third spot is anticipated to be open soon.

Superior Police Chief Alexander explained the duties and responsibilities.  A crossing guard ends up "working outside in inclement weather for a few hours at a time with a large gap in between".  Alexander added "[i]t's already probably not the most desirable position" but he offered that the wage increase might help a little.

So what will the pay increase look like if it gets final approval?  Right now, crossing guards in Superior are getting $11.41 per hour during the first year that they're employed in the position.  After the first year, the wage goes up to $11.66 per hour. The proposed new rate of pay for the crossing guards would be $15.00 with no incremental step.

The new pay rate would help to make Superior more competitive.  As part of the process before the pay raise was introduced, the city did some research into what other communities the same size are paying their crossing guards.  The pay ranges between "$14.50 per hour in Stevens Point to $18.85 per hour in Franklin".

Now that the Human Resources Committee has okayed the increase, the final vote will rest with the Superior City Council.