SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Generating $50,000 additional revenue in any school budget is a challenge.
Scarborough High School seniors Katie Elliott and Jack Sullivan are leading efforts to make it a bigger challenge as they seek to block a plan to charge students $100 to park at school this year.
“It’s not fair to put the fees on the high school students to fund the whole district,” Elliott said Monday as she and Sullivan prepared for the Aug. 16 meeting where the School Board will vote on the fee plan.
Elliott and Sullivan have organized a petition drive from 5-8 p.m. on Aug. 14 and 15 at the high school.
The 7 p.m. Aug. 16 meeting will give the public a chance to speak out on a plan to assess quarterly fees to students parking at school as a way to help increase revenues from student activities fees by $50,000 from last year’s $150,000.
School Board Chairman Bob Mitchell said the efforts to increase fee revenues to offset a $1 million reduction in state general purpose aid and mitigate property tax increases were part of the entire budget process approved by the school board and in a May referendum vote.
Sullivan, the president of the incoming senior class and Elliott, who represents the students on the School Board, said Scarborough High School Principal Dean Auriemma approached class presidents in early June and told them parking fees were under consideration.
Sullivan said reaction was not positive, although a smaller annual fee could gain some support.
Auriemma said he got the impression the larger fee could be supported as students and parents realized how it could help preserve programs and services.
“It was a bitter pill, but it didn’t raise any red flags to me,” he said.
Mitchell said parking fees alone will not raise the budgeted $50,000, while Sullivan and Elliott said adding parking fees to the $100 per sport and $50 per activity fees is asking too much of students and families.
“They aren’t the only ones short of cash right now,” Sullivan said.
Mitchell said the board would include a confidential waiver process as there is with athletic and activity fees, but warned that failing to reach the budget goal could lead to more cuts in a district where dozens of staff positions have been eliminated in the last two annual budgets.
After going through the budget process in her first year on the board, Elliott said she knows there are few easy decisions and plenty of need and taxpayers unhappy about mil rate increases.
“With a situation like this, you can’t send it back to the taxpayers,” she said.
Elliott and Sullivan both work, use vehicles owned by their parents and can’t rely on late buses after school to get them home from athletics and activities because late service is not offered.
Should students decide against paying the fees, Mitchell said school bus schedules would bear the brunt.
“If everybody shifted instantaneously, we would have to make an adjustment,” he said, by possibly adding more runs to the three currently scheduled for middle and high school students.
Auriemma said he supports charging quarterly fees to allow students to opt in and out of the parking plan. While the only local district currently charging fees is in neighboring Cape Elizabeth, Auriemma said schools in his native Illinois do assess parking fees, as well as fees for books, lockers and labs.
The difference is those parking fees are assessed to help alleviate a lack of space at schools three times the size of the Scarborough High School.
“I know $100 is a small piece in the whole equation, but it is a big number to some people. That’s why I think the board is not going into this lightly.”
Auriemma said perhaps half of the school’s 1,100 students use the lot, while Mitchell said parking fees might generate more than $30,000 annually.
Auriemma said he is glad to see a high level of engagement on the question.
“I’m glad people are involved, proud Katie and Jack are trying to act, but I encourage people to look at entire picture,” he said.
No matter what the School Board decides Aug. 16, the $50,000 increase is still part of the fiscal year 2013 budget, and Mitchell said a lack of revenue has its consequences.
“If you didn’t have the revenue, what are some of things you would reduce?” he asked.
Why don’t they just cut the janitor’s pay? That is what a private business would do! lol. Oh yes, and give the CEO a raise for their amazing new and innovative approach to cost savings.
Yeah, use contractors for janitorial work, and maintenance crews. Saves on benefits. That’s what a private company would do.
As long as the replacement workers are part time, low wage, and of Hispanic origin? lol. They can use the generosity of the Maine tax payers to make up the difference between their cooley wages and what it takes to live in 2012 America. Just like the employees of WalMart, Kmart, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Marden’s, etc.
Good for you, hope you win this.. Good Luck Kids!!
Funny how it always seems to be add this or that fee, or cut programs but never hear cut upper administration salaries!!
True, but they could thin the ranks, too.
What Jake and Katie should do is organize a boycott of the parking area for the first two weeks of school thus making a nightmare for the bus routes, force the school to hire more drivers and put on more buses. They will soon realize that a kid driving to school is saving the school money not costing them. I bet the school is still heavy on administration. I have served my time on a school board and i can tell you from experience that a school budget is loaded with extra money, deeply hidden in a convoluted budget that a taxpayer just can’t comprehend.
Exactly. How much does it cost to run a bus versus provide a spot for a student to park a car? They should be encouraging students to transport themselves.
they are required to have enough buses on hand to transport all students to school whether they take the bus or not.
That’s stood point. Could the budget find $50,000 if they lowered busing to the amount of students actually using the bus, or half mast?
If they are required, then the law should be changed for safety and happiness?
” The school district is already required to have enough buses and drivers for all students, even if many of them drive.
That’s why so many of the buses drive around nearly empty.”(Scott’s comment)
How stupid is that!? After a few weeks into school, cut the busing down to meet the need. This would more than pay the money needed instead of tax parents and students.
Kids today are spoiled rotten they should not be allowed to park their cars on school property. The parking lots are wasted space and should only be designed to support the administration and normal traffic, not every kid who has a car and is too lazy to take the bus and or walk. These kids think that parking is owed to them. Think of the cost savings when it comes time for maintenance and or replacement of the additional parking.
I’m familiar with schools that restricted student parking to those senior with a highenough GPA.
When i was in high school in the 60 kids took cars to school
I lived 10 miles from my high school and there was no bus that went from my town to that high school. Does that make me a spoiled rotten kid since I drove to school? While a lot of kids probably don’t need to drive to school, keep in mind that walking is not always an option in a largely rural state. Additionally, many bus rides in rural areas can be over an hour. For example, when I went to elementary school, I lived 4 miles away, but because of the way the bus went, I spent 45 minutes on it before getting home.
So what else did you have to do that day ?
Why do I picture you waving a cane in the air while saying this from your rocking chair.
Because he’s waving a cane while typing it from his rocking chair haha
Really? If every kid was required to ride the bus guess what, you would need more buses and bus drivers which means more cost to the district. Way back when I was in high school I played sports and I had to drive because there was no bus run after practice was over. When I wasn’t playing sports I had a job that I had to drive to work. Kids have been driving to school since cars became affordable. As for the kids and the fees, I feel for you but wait till you get to college and see all the extra fees that are not covered under your Financial Aid!
The school district is already required to have enough buses and drivers for all students, even if many of them drive.
That’s why so many of the buses drive around nearly empty.
i’m thinking probably not.
my high school didn’t have enough buses for all the kids.
they were counting on the seniors to drive themselves to school, thereby saving money on fuel and maintenance.
I drive my kid to HS most days. The bus arrives about the same time we do. We wait as 6-8 kids get off the bus.
that’s a really cool story and all, but what’s that got to do with it?
When I was in school (ten years ago), students could lose their on campus parking.
I used to have to walk 20 miles to school uphill both ways in blinding snowstorms!
Just a guess here, but it seems to me if a kid is too “lazy” to take a bus he or she would be too “lazy” to have a job and buy a car (as well as registration/maint/gas). I don’t know the students at this high school but I do know others (neighbors/nephews/nieces) who work a job or two to have the privilege of owning their own car. Times are tough and to suggest every student who drives was given a car for their 16th birthday is simply folly. It wasn’t true in my day and I am certain it isn’t true now. Parking lots by definition are intended just for that…parking, and if, as you suggest, that students should not be allowed to park on school property, why then would the school need additional parking. Lastly, if all the students were to take buses, that would necessitate additional buses, drivers, fuel and time (to accommodate after school study and activities). We are constantly hearing criticism about the education, or lack there of, for Maine children so what say we put our emphasis on that for the time being.
Teach the kids how and why to contribute to a community, don’t always expect to just, get, get, get all their lives.
Peaceful student protest? Break out the pepper spray
When kids start paying property taxes they can voice an opinion on how they’d like the money spent.
But kids do pay its called sales tax an part of that money goes to schools
That state tax money, not municipality money. The sales tax has to be returned to the communities, they should be asking Augusta.
Why not go further? How about the only people that can have any say on anything are landowners, or more specifically white landowners. Because that’s worked so well in the past. Feel free to leave the 19th century and join us in the 21st century.
I don’t have a dog in the fight over this issue…what I am sick of is comments insinuating a racial twist on an issue that clearly has no racial intent…crawl out of the 60’s stop putting a racial twist on everything.
I was in no way putting a “racial twist” in this comment. What I did by bringing up the idea of white landowners was to allow one to envision the ridiculous notion that only people paying property tax (a specific type of person) should have a voice. It was once like that in this country, when only white landowning men were allowed to vote and therefore have any say in our politics. This has nothing to do with race, it has to do with an idiotic theory that only certain types of people can have an opinion on a subject. And if you can’t understand that…I’m sorry for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_majority
Why should minors “have any say” on where tax money goes? Please feel free to extrapolate on your analogy.
When high school children get the right to vote, we can start taxing them. What you are proposing is taxation without representation as the parking fee is just abnother way of saying “tax”.
It is a user fee not a tax.
their parents pay property taxes.
I think charging for parking is a good idea. The University of Maine does it. Think about it — why is parking ever free? If you go to the Bangor Mall, a portion of the prices you pay at the stores goes to maintain the parking lot. Do you get a discount if you ride a bike or take the bus? Strange that there’s all this commotion about “socialized medicine,” but we’ve already got socialized parking. It’s just an entitlement for car owners. Charging for parking will encourage walking, biking and the use of public transportation, which is all good.
Yes, University of Maine does it…but it’s only $50 for a whole year. $100 a year for just some high school in Maine, come on! Ridiculous.
The University should charge more. The BAT bus is free to UMaine students and employees. Taking the bus to school is free for most high school students. Why should driving be subsidized in either instance? Policies that promote alternatives to the car are good things. The kid who foregoes driving to school as a teen to save $100 will walk more, use a bicycle, support public transportation, and enjoy better long-term health than his counterpart who pays the parking fee, drives to school, trolls for a parking space, and whines about the “inconvenience.”
And may be or become a decent athlete.
Perhaps you haven’t had anything to drink , this comment is right on !
that’s college students. you’re not required to go to college. you are required to attend high school.
And the high school provides transportation to and from the school.
You could make the argument that 14 year olds should be allowed to drive since they are required to go to high school.
obviously you can’t drive until you’re 16.
“obviously”? If we’re talking about it being unfair to kids in activities that they now have to pay for parking, why isn’t the issue on the table that we are being unfair to the underclassmen who aren’t even allowed to drive?
And destroy downtown areas.
Get down off the soapbox Hank , you know you’ve had a little to much to drink. Go write another song !
So if you charge $100 for parking and $100 for a locker to use. oh maybe $175 for a locker (forgot about the gym locker) and another $100 for desk privileges (if you don’t pay you get to stand up during class). They should be able to pay for the whole budget.
Dose that go for teachers an staff as well ??
A little different I’d think…is there a bus that will be picking them up at their door and dropping them off each night in place?
it’s diffrent they can walk to school if they live with in a mile of school if they don’t want to take the bus than let them pay. Not every kid is picked up at there door either
they are on Sawyer Road
there’s no alternative mode of transportation for teachers and staff, the students can take the bus
Yes there is for teacher either that make them pay to whats fair for thre kids is fair for teachers an any one else that works for the school
ah, you must be a student with a car that goes to scarborough….
the teachers could carpool or could also have an exception to take the bus as well.
hey, maybe the school could even afford to get a short bus for the teachers.
we could install coin-op doors on the bathroom stalls. Make ’em pay 50 cents to relieve themselves.
Hey kids, much easier way to protest this: Don’t pay the fee. Leave your car home and either walk or take the bus.
I’ll bet it’s hard to text and walk at the same time !
What about taking away free bus rides to and from school and activities, plus charging to park vehicles on school property? Taxpayers are already paying for all maintenance of the school, the buses and the parking lots, so why not have the kids or their parents chip in a little extra?
Last time I checked….the parents ARE taxpayers too !
Absolutely. Their children are the only ones who get these services that all taxpayers have to pay extra money for.
and someone (without kids in school or without kids at all) paid for YOU & ME when we went to school….Fact is they had a 37 million budget! and that is still not enough?
because the taxpayers, through property taxes, already paid for the entire school.
now they want to charge more? even after it’s all been paid for in full?
We have to pay for maintenance once the school is built. The buses have to be maintained. The parking lots have to be maintained. It all comes at a cost and somebody has to pay, so why not the ones who receive the services pay a little more?
the parking lots would have to be maintained anyways there derp.
if no students drive to school is the school going to stop plowing the snow? i’m thinking no.
Maybe if some schools were designed with better drainage, then parking lots and walkways would not be ripped up so quickly and need as much maintenance from water running and draining everytime it rains. Southportland……
It’s a problem because it reinforces a class divide. Students whose parents can afford $100 for a parking permit will have all the advantages of driving to school (less time wasted on the bus, the ability to attend after-school acitivities) and the kids who can’t pay for it, or whose parents can’t pay for it, won’t have the same priviledges. Of course, maybe if your family was poor, you wouldn’t have a car in the first place.
Honestly, as somebody who works in a high school, I hear enough kids say how they have no money (as they pull out the latest smartphone from their pocket).
People need to understand that districts are not required to pay for transportation to the high school (other than special needs and vocational students). Districts in many states charge the families if they want their kid to ride the bus.
$100 over 180 school days….not that bad IF it actually happens.
While this is a tough sell to some, in these economic times, I am not surprised it is being proposed. It would be nice for a fee to be charged to those who actually use the service.
Your stipulation is absurd. Children are REQUIRED, MANDATED to attend school. Some students live as far as 50 miles from the high school they attend. Even your grandfather didn’t have to walk that far to school.
Not necessarily. Parents need to prove their children are getting educated, home schooled, or public or private school.
Kids can quit school at 16 , the same age as they get their permission to drive. Your argument dosen’t hold water !
Which district do you work in that doesn’t bus its students?
Portland did not in the 80’s. In those days children walked to elementary school, to their neighborhood school, and in high school they got a city bus pass.
It was expected that a kindergarteners could walk a half of a mile. Middle school students a mile, and high school students 2 miles. South Portland was setup for this too. So was Brewer before the community school. High schoolers from both sides of town could still walk to high school. With a few exceptions on the very outskirts near Holden and Eddington under those expectations. Why doesn’t anyone walk anymore?
There are no poor people in Scarborough.
You obviously know nothing about Scarboroughs people!! Careful..your jealousy is showing! There are poor people and out of work folks here just as well as anywhere else! And NOT all kids here have a Smartphone or a car! They had a 37 million dollar budget and that should of been enough!! 2 Million MORE than last year!
Nope, everyone in Scarborough has golden toilets.
If you say so Crack….it must be right….LOL
if they can afford a car and all the expenses that go along with it then they can afford to pay for parking at the school.
an the same goes for every person that works for the school to
students have an alternaive way of getting to school, workers don’t
who says they all can afford a car….my daughter borrows mine (when I’m not working) to be able to stay after for extra help when needed and/or sports practice (which cost 100.oo per sport per season up to $300.oo/yr) Plus numerous parents volunteering their time to help pay for uniforms, etc.She pays her portion of car insurance every month too! AND no she does not have a smart phone because she can not pay for it and neither can I. Wrong to assume that everyone can afford a car…some yes, but not all !!!
It states right in the article that there would be a confidential waiver application. If it would truly be a financial hardship to pay the fee, then the fee could be waived.
Well there we go. Another “waiver” solution. And the burden goes to……………….
Grew up poor, went to school poor. Never bothered me that I couldn’t have a car. I accepted that, and really if I had wanted anything growing up, I had to WORK for it.
This isn’t directly related, but it could be. I live on a cul-de-sac in a small town. The school bus stops at all 3 houses to pick up kids- not mine btw. Why aren’t the children walking the fifty feet to have the bus pick them up in 1 location? There are 7 houses that have driveways abutting each other. These are not very young children. Doesn’t it cost a lot in gas to stop every 50 feet? I’ve been behind buses that stop at every house on secondary roads. When I was in school, we had a local bus stop. (I’m not suggesting a five mile hike, but reasonable distance). The $ saved from the fewer stops could add up. But my next question is…if the h.s. students are no longer utilizing the bus- why do they need the buses? I’m sure they could condense the # of buses if most of them are partially full….? Just a few thoughts in these crazy financial times…
With age and vehicle operation comes responsibility. Perhaps the kids should realize that maintaining their personal parking area isn’t free. The town could save money by not plowing or maintaining the student parking area … see how quickly they come around then. Alternatively, they could sell off the lots and let the kids fend for themselves on finding space to park on the street.
^^ As long as that mentality applies to the staff I’d vote for it.
I bet they would still plow that area
i’m sure the kids realize resposibility already.
I bought my own car, worked 3 part time jobs, and kept my grades up to be able to afford my car and park said car in the school parking lot.
Only Seniors and Juniore could park when my kids went to school. Some of the kids got together went to the town got permission to plow a piece of town land near the school. They did it themselves. Only condition was they couldn’t start until the ground was frozen and had to stop when it got soft. Worked out pretty well.
Oh well, drivings an adult priviledge, and with it comes costs. Buck up little buckaroo’s it only gets better.
an that goes for any one that works for the school
If they don’t want to pay a fee to park, there is a free mode of transportation they can take- the bus.
Another person who believes “the bus” is free. That’s a hoot!
yes, because it costs them nothing to run the buses.
let’s see here….
insurance,
bus drivers salary and benefits,
maintenance,
fuel,
other unforseen issues,
come on now.
it will cost the school more money to bus these children around than it will to just allow them to park their cars at school for free.
Parking on school property when I was in high school was a privilege and not a right..just like the so called “Senior Privilege” where you could cut out early if you had afternoon study halls. You could lose that for getting multiple detentions, bad grades…you name it.
and how much did you pay for the privilege to park in HS ? My guess?….nothing. Unless you lived out of state…then maybe.
Pretty sure when I was in HS I paid $50 for parking and only upperclassmen could use the parking lot.
pretty sure? and was this Maine?
Yep, pretty sure. It’s not like it was just yesterday.
And it was in NH, though not sure why it makes a difference.
If your daughter can afford to pay her share of insurance every month, she can afford the fee to park on campus.
well there….I guess you should know…not. But you are entitled to your opinion about what my daughter or anyone else can afford by your assumptions.
My kids took a snowmobile to school in the winter. No parking sticker was required for snowmobiles. They drove the remaining time as we lived 3 miles from the nearest bus stop and they had after school activities and work.
Nice! I don’t own a snowmobile so I wouldn’t have thought of it.
I was in Keene, NH during some major flooding a few years ago. Saw a kid paddling to class.
My boyfriend tells me of kids he saw skiing into school.
If you can’t afford or don’t want to pay the parking fee, travel in creative ways.
Hmmm….I rode the bus to school every day and didn’t have my first car until I turned 21. But thanks for thinking I was privileged enough to have a car in HS! :)
Ok…so I have two questions…who is going to help pay for the budget shortfall and what programs or jobs will have to be cut if no additional funding is found? And, if you are not willing to pay for parking, what would your solution to the budgeting problem be?
There should of been NO shortfall. They got 2 Million more than last year and the CIP was increased by $650k ….but if you must cut….start with one of the many above 70k admin. postitions!
I’m always seeing stories about how teachers and school administrators have so much free time that they can freely invade students’ private lives outside of school; such as on facebook.
Perfect solution: Since these teachers and administrators have so much free time to be reading facebook, we make the them take over all the janitorial duties – for no extra pay, btw. Let’s see how much money that saves the school!
Their best protest would be for all kids to ride the bus. They would overwhelm the district.
” The school district is already
required to have enough buses and drivers for all students, even if many
of them drive.
That’s why so many of the buses drive around nearly empty.”(Scott’s comment)
Scarborough’s Chairman of the School Board seems to think differently:
“Should students decide against paying the fees, Mitchell said school bus schedules would bear the brunt.“If everybody shifted instantaneously, we would have to make an adjustment,” he said, by possibly adding more runs to the three currently scheduled for middle and high school students.”
How much does it cost the school district to pave, maintain, and plow the parking lot for students? The tax payers are paying for bus service. Let the students use the already provided service.
They would have to add more buses to the routes.
they would have to pave/maintain and plow anyways. it’s not just students that use the parking lots.
are you suggesting that if all the students took the bus that the school wouldn’t bother to plow/pave/maintain the parking lot?
you’re a smart one.
They wouldn’t need that big of a parking area if students weren’t allowed to drive to school. The parking area could be reduced to take care of staff.
Pay the fee or take the bus.
That is exactly what they should do if they want to have an effective protest. The buses will be overrun and no money taken in from parking. No additional money and additional cost for the buses.
” The school district is already
required to have enough buses and drivers for all students, even if many
of them drive.
That’s why so many of the buses drive around nearly empty.”(Scott’s comment)
I know the person who is in charge of the bus schedules in this area. A percentage of students driving and getting a ride is factored in when planning routes at the beginning of the year. He himself takes out one of the small spare buses if one fills up. The school is not required to have buses driving routes with the capacity to hold every person on the route even if half never take it. They have to have plans to compensate for overages but that is far different than having buses with the capacity to hold all students driving every day.
From the article:
“Should students decide against paying the fees, Mitchell said school bus schedules would bear the brunt.
“If everybody shifted instantaneously, we would have to make an adjustment,” he said, by possibly adding more runs to the three currently scheduled for middle and high school students.”
If you know of a school district with the buses consistently being nearly empty there could be some cost savings there with better planning.
My childrens school only has 2 buses, used to have 3 but with budget cuts and no state $ they cut 1. So there is no enough bus space for all of the students the buses have to make 2 trips and pick up from the high school which mean is you kid is on the 2nd bus they won’t get home for well over an hour after school get out. So I’m feeling like that statement is incorrect.
Here’s the calculus: Students have to pay for school parking because of the womb-to-the-tomb benefit & retirement packages feasted upon by public-sector workers. If not for those gold-plated plans that they hardly contribute ANYTHING to, there IS no ‘budget hole.’ Teenagers are essentially paying for hammock-swinging 50-year-old public-sector ‘retirees.’ Sounds like a ‘fair share’ to me.
Obviously you have never been a teacher in Maine. To get State retirement you must give up your Social Security benefits EVEN if you earned them from a non-state job. Maine is one of only seven states which do this.
I believe it is 14 states that opted out of paying Social Security for teachers. To get full Social Security the teachers and state/school districts would have to pay social security. That would be on top of the payments made to the state retirement. Both would not be affordable. They would have to go to a system similar to what the federal employees (including congresspeople by the way) did in 1984. The went to Social Security with a small supplimental pension and a matching 401 type of plan.
This is obamaland, and king obama say everything be free…….
What a joke.
Let’s do the math…. $100 per sport, $100 to park, $50 per activity if your student is even moderately active in school you’re talking $300 to $400 per child per year. At that rate, only the upper class will have students who can particpate. My son has a car which he paid for and maintains. He works part time and could not get from school to his job in time to punch in if he had to walk every day. He also participates in the local access tv station run by the school and often has to leave the school during study halls to go tape community events. Even in our small town, it would be hard to run across town to tape something at the elementary school and then run back for his next class. Stop charging students and cutting teachers! Make cuts where the real fluff is— administration!
Or cut out some of the beloved sports that attribute very little and are extremely costly to us taxpayers. They can learn teammanship in physical education classes, which are a requirement of a schools curriculum.
I know it’s not a very popular subject but the percentage of high schoolers who play sports and go on to play professionally is very very low.
SHS students Pay to Play up to $300/yr and the rest (uniform,sneakers,etc) are raised by Booster Clubs and/or paid by parents/student that plays.
Thank you, I didn’t know that. It sounds fair to me.
Most of the kids who play high school sports do not play as a way to get into professional sports! High school sports teach teamwork and cooperation. They also give the kids something to do in their spare time both as athletes or spectators! I for one enjoy watching the local teams play even though my son is not an athlete. Any number of the spectators at our basketball and soccer games do not have kids in the school system.
If your son works part-time, have him save $100 so he can drive to work from school. Teach him some real life skills.
My son is learning real life skills! He paid for the car with his own money. He pays for the insurance and repairs as well as the gas. He is helping to pay for the early college classes he is taking while maintaining high honors in school, working part time and volunteering for public service projects as a member of NHS. He is putting away money to help with his college expenses. He does not have a credit card so if he wants something he has to wait until he has the money to pay for it. His father and I pay real estate tax, income tax, and sales tax which all help pay for the school budget.
Sounds like there’s nothing to complain about then! And in regards to my life skills comment, just my experience that there is always something else that costs money. Registration, insurance, car breaks down, parking fees. All just the way of the world.
If your son also paid for his car registration he paid excise tax, part of which goes toward the school budget.
so do I and I am tired paying it. I don’t want my tax dollars spent so some student can drive their car to school when there are buses that my tax dollars pay for.
Let an educated unemployed adult get the job.
That’s almost the most ignorant comment I’ve read on here today! It’s funny but there weren’t any educated unemployed adults lined up to apply for the job when he took it! Where I live there are a lot of part time minimum wage jobs that would go unfilled if it weren’t for the high school kids!
100 bucks is a PITTANCE…. Students are in school less then 10 months a year… To say they can’t come up with the money split up over a ten month period is a lie!!! I was told if I wanted a car I would have to get a job and pay for it myself… So I did, and lettered in football and had a steady girlfriend… Same rural story as some other posters here, lived 15 miles out from high school… These kids need to step up and live life instead of whining about how it’s so hard… Everything in life has a cost… Better get used to it now kids…
Ask the Teachers Union to take a 5% cut in pay or make them pay 5% of their healthcare cost.
Right, because high school teachers are seriously raking in the big bucks..
Compared to other educated professionals who have to renew their credentials every three years instead of 5 per hour including managed homework, yeah they are.
Any school system that attempts this parking scheme will spend more time and money to enforce it than it will taken in. A lot of kids will just end up parking on the side of the road near the school which will make another problem for the homeowners near the school.The vice principal already has his hands full with disciplinary problems without being a traffic cop. Don’t make rules you can’t enforce easily.
The city cops can deal with ticketing those cars. Sounds like a win-win for the city.
They could end up towing them when it snows-another messy issue to deal with. When schools go to war with the good kids-you never have a winnable situation. Those kid’s parents will always back their children and the school-but their kids first.
If the parents will back their kids, then the parents will write the $100 checks for their parking pass.
It appears that some of these kids don’t want that to happen. They are taking a stand on the issue without their parents involvement. They should drop this like a hot rock and find another way.
Is anyone really surprised that kids who are getting charged an extra fee are going to pass around a meaningless petition? Are any of the students going to say, “gee, I’d like you to charge me money for something that was free last year”?
I don’t blame these kids one bit. Unfortunately they are going to live in a world full of taxes and fees that will make us all sick. The country is broke and so are the States and cities. The money is all gone. Maybe they can park in China.
So they are being taxed twice than ?
Mom and or Dad already paid for the parking when they paid their property and income tax. The youth pay fuel tax, registration, insurance, license.
How much do the teachers pay? What about the administrators?
To be fair, the entrance to the school should be set up like airport parking. Get a ticket at entry and pay when you leave; any and all vehicles (teachers, administrators, buses, students, parents, politicians, dogs, cats, and even baby carriages………..)
teachers don’t have alternative transportation, students can take the bus.
Yes they do buss go right buy there house every day
with all the extra money that the school saves by not maintaining a parking lot that no one uses then they can hire an additional bus just to pick teachers up.
problem solved.
most of the teachers are not residents of Scarborough. It’s not fiscally (look it up) possible to send buses all over southern maine to pick teachers up.
Well like people say welcome to the real world people say that the staff at school is over paid so let all people at school pay
The scholl buss go right by there houses
when they start paying property taxes then they can have a say of what goes on with the town….
The parking fee IS a tax so I guess they get a say?
Yes they will have a say. They can pay the fee and park, or not pay the fee and take the bus or ride with a friend.
and I get a say too, I pay more than $100 in property taxes so my say weighs in more….
(double post)
Getting a permit for parking and paying a few bucks is not a bad idea. It is a privilege not a right.
The bus ride is paid for by taxpayers, they can ride the bus for no extra charge. But as I understand, the bus is refered to as “the welfare wagon”.
Students, start a petition drive to end war which would be constructive and less self-centered. This is a waste of time and talent. This is stupid.
But the school wants the students to drive, they are relying on the extra money. Head of the school board in the articles says it will cost them more money if they all switch to riding the bus plus they won’t get the extra money they are planning on from the parking fee.
Save more money: Just hire administrators with Masters degrees, not PhDs. They can still screw things up, but much cheaper.
Not that the PhDs from online universities (like university of Phoenix) are worth anything anyways. The PhDs I know, got there PhDs by doing years of full-time dedicated research, not by paying money to a school with dubious accreditation.
This site is unreal! Can’t say welcome to the real world without approval from the moderator? What the heck is wrong with that statement?
I live in a district that picks up every student at there front door. The bus stops every 10 feet it seems. A lot of these kids don’t realize how easy they have it. In my district we are encouraged to put our kids on the bus…even high school students. Most of our buses are half full because parents drive there kids to school every day and then pick them up which causes a traffic jam in front of the schools to the point we need the local PD to direct traffic. Put the kids on the bus… we are paying taxes to keep these buses going and few people seem to be using them anymore. Believe it or not your kid is very safe on a school bus. If these kids have to pay a little fee to park there cars then maybe they will consider riding the bus on occasion.
Hasn’t the people of the town/city already paid for the parking lot through their taxes?
their property taxes went to the city to have the school built, including the parking lot.
and now the crooks at the top want to charge for something that was already paid for?
unbelievable.
If this 50,000 is SO needed for budget purposes how about we cut that where the fat REALLY is.
school superintendent makes some where in the range of 110,00-130,00
The high school principle makes 98,000-107,000
Assistant principle makes 79,000-86,000
athletic director makes 75,000-81,000
and they get 20-25 sick days, 25 vacation days, and 12 paid holidays a school year
While the teachers WHO DO MOST OF THE HARD WORK are ONLY making 30,000-60,000! and the high end is only hit after 25 years.
They may as well get used to paying to park. It’s good life lesson for them. Perhaps they will become more aware of where their tax dollars are going. Where we live, a fee is charged for High School Students to park. They have to buy a parking permit. There are a limited number, seniors get first dibs. The parking lot is always half empty and the streets clogged with cars on the side of the road. If you don’t want to pay the fee, don’t park in the school lot.
Ok than every work place in Maine should start an charge there employees to park in the parking lot an all Mall should charge the park in the mall parking lot . The state should charge all people that park in a park an ride lot too . Now people that go to games ect that park on school grounds will they pay to ?
those are all private properties and are not paid for by taxpayers….
All those place get some kind of tax break so people in the long run do pay for those places
Why cut anything? Why not make a “teachable moment” out of this and put the whole high school to work on fund-raising? Sheesh.
Will the administrative staff, teachers and other employees at the school have to pay as well? If so, the students should also have to shoulder this burden.
No, Administrative staff, teachers and employees are NOT required to pay!
Watchdog’s comment: When kids start paying property taxes they can voice an opinion on how they’d like the money spent.
What do you think they don’t pay property taxes on the cars they drive to school? In the long run kids need cars to go to activities such as sports and clubs. I think you need to look at the high paid administrators and double dippers. How about charging more at sporting events? There are other ways to offset the costs. We have a superintendent here in Presque Isle that makes 101k a year plus he retired a few years back and is getting that pay as well. Makes no sense at all and he has an assistant superintendent and works part time in other districts.
Might as well teach them about the real world, fees are everywhere
parking fees sound like a reasonable way to raise some funds for the budget. after all the lots need to be plowed . but then all who use the parking need to pay, including the teachers and custodians. and dont forget the busses and drivers and the kitchen help, and when the town uses the building for a local event, lets make sure they kick in their share.
$0.55 per day. Hmm. Didn’t think that was too much to ask!
Welcome to the real world, kids.
That being said, I think you’re going about it the right way. Don’t say it’s not “fair,” because believe me, the world ain’t fair.
Decisions are made by those who show up.
Show up. Keep doing what you’re doing. Stay active, and stay involved.
Good for you.
As I sit here in my pajamas, killing june bugs with my cane, I say, ” what dah heck is up with dat”?
Charging kids to park at school is nothing but hog wash!! If times are this bad in Scarborough then maybe everyone should be charged to park, except for in their own driveways. Don’t dare attempt to single outs a minority population to carry the rest of the town’s burden unless you want the PTA, FFA, AAA, NBC, DNC, BBB, and the Boy Scouts knocking at ya door!!