Those five inches of plastic hanging from the rear-view mirror of a car is a right of passage for juniors and seniors. Being able to drive yourself to and from school gives one a great sense of freedom and responsibility and, coupled with the $75 it costs to get a parking pass, students are getting the taste of adulthood – whether or not they want it.
“We already pay taxes for school,” senior Alexandra Weldon said. “It’s not fair that some students wouldn’t get to drive to school because they can’t afford it.”
Weldon raises a good point: $75 is a lot to ask of teenagers, especially those just getting used to paying for their own gas and insurance for something as simple as having a parking space. She thinks like most: a fee wouldn’t be a ridiculous thing to ask for, but something smaller would be more reasonable. After all, the logical thing the administration spends the money on is just parking lot upkeep.
“We use the money for up keeping of the parking lot, the actual buying of the parking passes, and the money helps pay for the secondary police officer that we hire,” assistant principal in charge of parking Dr. Carletta Harlan said.
The additional costs for the school on top of just maintenance gives a solid reason to the cost of parking passes. According to Harlan, the district will not pay for the secondary officer, but the sense of security and jobs they provide is very important. Evidently the money is not just going into the pockets of our principals but to fair cause. Central’s administration needs the money, and even though student are allowed to protest, they need to pick their methods carefully.
The blatant disregard for parking passes is unacceptable; students who drive to school every day without purchasing a parking pass end up making themselves miserable. Instead of getting the right of passage they want, juniors and seniors are giving sophomores with a valid license the opportunity to drive to school, effectively dismissing a privilege of being an upperclassman.
To buy the parking passes, the school takes the current year’s enrollment and the previous year’s sales of passes and makes a total. Things that affect that number, such as a drop in enrollment or students not buying parking passes, puts a strain on the school. They need the money somehow, especially for the extra police officer, and to the displeasure of the seniors and juniors, this means giving the sophomores the potential to drive.
“We are strategically checking for vacant spots for a good sense of how many spots we can allow for the sophomores,” Harlan said.
The irresponsibility has already started to have its consequences, as students are deservedly getting warnings and tickets now. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If the students want change, they need to go about it in a better fashion.
“Students have a right to their opinions,” Harlan said. “But they should learn to be proactive about it and look at it like the district does.”
And with some insight, the students do. After being informed what the money goes to, Weldon said she understands that the money is important, but still thinks they should charge less for a parking pass. If students still feel this way after learning the facts, they need to protest in a way that will not backfire on them and try to talk to the faculty and compromise.
“I think if they charge less for a pass then more people will buy them and they can make the same amount of revenue,” senior Amanda Sherman said. “It’s ridiculous; I know I can barely afford a pass.”
While students might find it ridiculous, the policy stands as it is, unless students get together and thoughtfully do something about it.