Wayland schools has NOT fired its snow plowing service

Mr. Young,

Contrary to false hearsay at last night’s City Council meeting, the school district has not fired its snow plowing service.

Facts:

The district currently has the same plowing service it has had for the past three years.

As this is the final year of the contract, the district naturally is in the process of taking bids for a new snow plowing contract beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.  Someone apparently confused these two issues.

As the district’s current contract is a pay-per-plow agreement, and with the forecast of continued snow fall and drifting until 7 a.m. Monday, plus an early cancellation of school Sunday night, the prudent decision was made to delay plowing until late Monday morning and only pay for a single plowing.

Typically, plowing begins in the very early hours around the district so drives, sidewalks, and parking lots are cleared before employees and students report to school in the morning.  To avoid paying for multiple plowings, the district waited until the snow subsided Monday, then plowing began in a prioritized manner based on activities taking place in the district at the administrative offices, high school and then other schools in preparation for school on Tuesday.

Keep in mind that with the volume of snow we had, it can take 10-12 hours to plow the entire district.

Again, we would ask that you check your facts prior to disseminating false information.  In the future, you are welcome to send me an email so I could verify information.

Norman Taylor, Superintendent,

Wayland Union Schools