Q: Please Explain the New Parking Fees at SHS!
A: When the Board of Education adopted our budget in February, student parking fees were not a part of our plan. It was only after the Board of Finance slashed our budget an additional $275,000 that we were forced to consider additional cuts. Our philosophy has always been to keep cuts as far from the classroom as possible, and beyond that to attempt preservation of student programming beyond the school day. As so many of you are aware, Stonington’s school budget is scrutinized annually, and over the years has been whittled down. Previously, there have been places to trim which minimally impact the student experience – we have now crossed that threshold.
After finding ways to trim nearly the entire $275,000 this spring (which among other items also included the loss of a teaching position) we were left needing a way to cut $17,000 more. As we scrutinized options (for example: eliminating some athletic programs and clubs) we identified student parking fees as a means to generate funds without a loss of programming. Because we provide transportation via bus for every student, and driving a car to school is a choice, it became a more tantalizing option than a “pay-to-play” alternative which would have inherently kept some students from participating.
The fee associated with the parking permits is based on the need to fill the remaining $17,000 gap and the number of spots we have to fill: 170 spots @ $100 each. As a result, the burden is not only being carried by those in after school activities, but by the entire population eligible to drive to school.
Permits will only be required during normal school hours, so students who participate in activities after school and want access to a car can, in effect, ride the bus home and bring vehicles to the campus after dismissal without the need for a permit. Clubs and teams will need to make allowances for this so that students are not penalized if getting a car is an absolute necessity for activities that run beyond our late bus schedule.
Again, please understand that this was not something recommended as part of the Board’s budget process, but a difficult choice made once we were required to make up for the additional cut of $275K. In the end, parking fees were determined to be the lesser of several evils.
Additional questions or comments are most welcome.
Outrageous!!. After spending $575.00 for her to take driving classes/ lessons I now need to work extra ,extra for her to be able to go and park the car{ that I had to work extra for} to a PUBLIC school!
I’m in shock…..financially
Thank you so much for being part of this discussion. I appreciate the sense of sticker-shock you describe. The fact that your daughter is saving for college is terrific. The lessons learned from making choices about how to allocate funds are powerful and long-lasting for all students.
Leanne
And yes she does have a job. That money is being saved for college
Is there anyway to break this fee into 1/4′s. $100 is alot for us or the student to come up with at the beginning of school with all the other expenses. Maybe 2 payments before the holidays and 2 after. then there could be a choice of weather or not to use the space for the whole year also.
Yours is both a thoughtful and interesting suggestion. I will raise it with the high school administration and discuss its viability!
Thanks so much for adding to the discussion!
Leanne
This decision is entirely reasonable and forward-thinking.
The previous system is environmentally indefensible. By discouraging the largely unnecessary use of cars for students, the district is providing incentive for the right things, not the wrong. Students will be more likely to avail themselves of the bus transportation already provided and paid for, thereby diminishing greenhouse gas emissions, giving taxpayers better return on their investment, and reducing traffic congestion during peak hours.
Please accept my thanks for participating in this discussion and for sharing a unique viewpoint. The green benefit was not one that I had previously considered.
Leanne
As I have said previously it is unfair to have the students pay to park at SHS and not have the staff and teachers pay as well. The BOE awarding you a 3% salary increase at the same time only adds insult to injury as this could have paid for 40 plus students to park at $100 per student.
Bernie Giserman
Thank you, again, for your comments. It was a pleasure to meet you at last week’s BOE meeting.
Leanne
I did think the fee was high and I understand the reasoning. My only thought is, when you say it is a choice to drive to school or not, the same can be said for playing sports. My son paid the fee from his own pocket as he worked all summer and continues to after school. He actually “needs” a car to get to work after school, so taking a bus is not an option. Again these are all choices he makes and I respect him for it. At the same time I don’t feel sports should be held sacred. Playing sports is also a “choice”.
Thanks so much for weighing in on this topic, John. You are correct, both instances are choices. When the Board has discussed “pay-to-play” initiatives, it has always been with an eye towards “pay-to-participate” – in other words, sports, clubs and activities would all be considered. Holding no one facet of the experience sacred ….
Leanne
I agree. This fee is ridiculous. Sports is a choice, much like driving to school, so why do students who chose to drive to school have to pay for students who chose to play a sport. Students need the flexibility to stay after school for acedemics, sports, clubs, guidance, etc., Taking the bus home and driving back to school does not encourage this and is an unfair “tax”. The parking fee should be eliminated.
Thanks so much for weighing in on this topic. I appreciate your feedback.
Leanne
It’s not at all uncommon for students to pay a parking fee at public schools. I had to do it back in the 80′s in GA (though I believe it was only $10/quarter). My niece is doing it today at her school as well.
We also had quarterly parking passes because parking was such a premium at my school- so if you participated in a sport or afterschool activity that took place that quarter, you were more likely to get a parking spot, than if you did not for example- & we paid for our assigned spot every quarter.
I don’t think this is at all out of line. Whenever something is new, it’s a tough transition, but I would rather make the choice between my child paying to park or not, than see them have to lose another teacher, or drop an activity entirely. No one wins in that situation.
Thank you for adding your thoughts to this discussion.
Leanne
I couldn’t agree more with Allana Allick’s comment. Kids driving to school impose an environmental cost on us all and given that there is an alternative available, we should be charging them. A per day charge eg $2 might be more efficient (and meet Krista’s concern) if the admin/infrastructure costs are not too high.
Very surprised that the environmental benefits of car charging were not front of mind. It suggests to me that there are likely other areas where we could derive environmental or health benefits and also save/make money.
I like BG’s idea of also charging teachers but because they dont have the bus alternative, this is similar to putting an environmental charge on any driver, so we are maybe not ready for this yet. It would be nice tho to reward teachers who car share/cycle/walk etc (I have seen some!)
Neil
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts. Your feedback is very helpful.
Leanne
What environmental cost? I doubt any of us live that far from the school that the environmental impact could hardly be measured. I also think 2$ a day would be difficult. How about 50 cents? Many parents and kids don’t have the extra 10$ per week you are talking about. We are tapped out from all of the other extra expenses that are school related. ex. school pics.,yearbooks, school lunches, sports, clothes…….
Thank you for adding to this conversation. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
Leanne
I agree with Mr. Giserman-the teachers should also pay if the students have to. This is outgrageous, and a hardship on parents and students. It seems to me any of the pro parking fee comments are coming from people who have no concern about finances. If the teachers also pay the fee then the burden wouldn’t be as bad. 100.00 is way too much.
Thank you for joining in on this conversation. I appreciate hearing from you, Maggie.
Leanne
I emailed the school today to find out if there is parking for those students who only need to drive to school occasionally (e.g. miss the bus and have to drive in). I was told this wasn’t a possibility. This is frustrating & puts many parents in a bind! My son cannot afford the gas to drive to school everyday; nor can he afford $100 to drive to school once in a blue moon. Everyone is struggling financially and trying to do their share to reduce expenses. Why aren’t there any options for part-time parking? Maybe you could provide each student with 12 passes that they could display in their windows?
Thank you for suggesting another alternative. Implementing new concepts often results in the generation of new ideas. Each of the ideas shared within this blog will be discussed at the school level.
With appreciation,
Leanne
Regarding the passes mentioned in earlier post (my computer wasn’t letting me edit!) – My thought was that each student be provided with a number of “free parking” passes; perhaps 10 – 12. When they use them, they should hand them in to the office that morning. If their car is spotted w/o a permit, the person in charge of monitoring the parking lot (who does this by the way?) can jot down the plate number and check with the office to see if that person turned in their pass for the day. This seems like a reasonable suggestion – I don’t see why any kid should have to shell out $100 to park at school once in a while.
Maggie, Each journey seems small but I have cut my annual car mileage by 5000 simply by generally cycling any journey less than 15 miles (which in addition to health and environmental benefits is a saving of $2500 using an all-in cost of 50c per mile). I have realized that (for us) being a 2 car family is a choice rather than a necessity. My guess is that having so many students driving to school pushes at least some to see their (expensive) choice of owning a car and driving it to school as a necessity.
There does seem to be a consensus in these posts in favor of pay per day rather than a season ticket.
Neil
Leanne, You may have noticed that recently they repainted the road up to Fitch making it more cycle friendly. Rte 1 a mile or so either side of SHS is one of the least cycle-friendly roads in Stonington (even without those half awake young drivers!)
Since this was implemented to cover a $17000 shortfall in this year’s budget, does that mean the fees will only be required this year? So if everyone gets out and votes to pass the budget on the first try, there will be no need for the parking fees next year?
Each year the budget is revisited. I would imagine that Board of Education members will look at this cost to students again, and be faced with a difficult choice. Budget discussion begins at the Board level in January of 2012. I hope that the community is involved throughout the process. Thank you for your participation in this discussion.