Springfield Schools, City Leaders Warn About Early Back To School
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A message board outside Sunshine Elementary in Springfield reminds drivers that kids go back to class Wednesday. Image by KTTS News
More sidewalks, message boards, and new flashing lights.
That's what drivers can expect to find when kids go back to school Wednesday in Springfield.
There are some firsts this year.
Sherwood and Sunshine elementaries finally have flashing lights that warn drivers when they're entering a school zone. Now, every school in the district has those warning lights.
Superintendent Dr. Norm Ridder says he's concerned drivers won't be ready for kids going back to school so early.
"This time of year, people are tending to relax a bit. They gotta be careful."
That's why the city has added message boards to remind people that kids are going back to class early.
City traffic engineer Martin Gugle says the city has been using money from the quarter cent capital improvement tax to add more sidewalks in front of schools. He says every school in the district -- even in the county -- has sidewalks around it.
"A majority of the sidewalks in this first contract -- this first four miles -- about a third of them were placed in this district for Sunshine Elementary."
Gugle says the sidewalks were added around Sunshine because of a bump in enrollment.
Gugle says the city plans to start work on another four miles of sidewalk soon.
The city offers walking maps for each school.
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