SCARBOROUGH, Maine — Scarborough High School students who want to drive to school are going to have to pony up a $50 annual parking fee this fall.
The school board on Thursday approved the fee with a 6-1 vote despite outcry from some students and their parents who said it was unfair on top of fees already charged for sports and other extracurricular activities.
The $50 fee approved is actually a compromise, as the original planned called for a $100 fee.
Board Chairman Robert Mitchell said the school needs the additional revenue after losing $1 million in state funding.
Financially eligible students can apply to have the parking fee waived.
I’m glad I didn’t have to pay 50 bucks to park when I was in school.
When I was in High School that got you 100 gallons of gas.
and now it gets them some of a cell phone payment.
Pretty soon you’ll have to pay as much for public school as you would a private school.
…you already do (it’s called state taxes and local property taxes). The cost per student at public school is nearly $10,000 per year…most private schools are less. Vouchers are needed for choice and competition to give our students the best education possible.
and those private schools do not have to have certified teachers. Many public schools are well under $10K/year, and many private schools are well over that.
Of course private schools can cut costs when the secretary this week I mean “dean of students” next week need no certification/experience/etc….
The quality of any education starts at home. If you value education and impart that on your child and set expectations, your child should do well in any school.
I wish I had a car when I was in school
I’ll bet the girl’s fathers are glad that you didn’t.
You know why they charge students and no one else. because students don’t vote. But it will be a good lesson for them in the future when it comes to a bonding issues, and they remember having to cough up their own money to park… Best lesson a school board could teach the students.
No because they can bully kids an theres nothing they can do about like a master an his slaves thats how kids are being treated
As if does the staff have to pay to everyone should not just the students in this case all kids shld ride the buses n make the school put mre buses on for the students then they cant charge unless they start charging like the city buses this is unreal why do we pay taxes on everything then i dont understand we pay taxes on land, bills, food everything and most of that goes or is said it goes to school so where did it go then can anyone help me with this????lol we all know were the funds go don’t we.
translation services, anyone?
Wow!
I’m a bit curious as to how a student that has the ability to buy, gas,insure, and maintain a car could muster a case for being unable to pay the parking fee. In my day the kids of lesser means rode the bus or stuck out their thumb-I know- I was one of them. I’d not want to be the person making those waivers. Just because Mom and Dad have some money that does not mean they will be writing a check for parking. Every kid has a different situation.The board will regret the day they enacted this policy.
don’t forget the phones that are nicer than those of most adults.
50 bucks to park my car just becouse I don’t wont to ride the bus..whow..what next.? pay to ride the bus…!!
pay to ride the bus…you mean like in other states?
A bus is provided to students. If you CHOOSE not to ride it, then yes, you can pay to park!
“Financially eligible students can apply to have the parking fee waived.”
I’d love to hear what determines their financial eligibility I’ll assume it will be a typical, “you have a so job it’s $50, you don’t so it’s free”. Typical “fair share” politics….
I suspect it is more tied to whether a student qualifies for free/reduced lunch.
enjoy paying for the additional buses you morons.
Students find money for their priorities. carpooling may increase, not a bad habit to start at an early age.
I hope the school charges people for parking when they come to games ect they could make more than 25,000
I would love to see all the kids ride the bus so the school would lose 25,000 what would the school do then ? didn’t the school figure the 50,000 into there budget all ready ?
You do realize that the city has ZERO obligation to even provide bus services unless the student is a vocational or special needs child, right?
If that so then how come every school in Maine has a bus service ?
Do you know that there is no law that says that a city / town has to have a fire dept. or police dept. ?
If they all rode the bus then there’d be no need to plow & sand the parking lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if that costs at least $25k/year.
I bet they would still plow the parking lot because of the Basketball game an other activies that go on during the winter so they can charge those people that come on school grounds
I guess if i were a student id be leaving early and parking at Hannaford and walking over. Screw them and their stupid fee. if they need to close a budget hole how bout you cut the salaries of the the principle(100,00 a year) assistant principle(80,000) the athletic director(75,000) and the superintendent(120,000). ALL of which are WAY overpaid considering the teachers are only making 30,000 to 50,000 Plus the P, AP,AD and Superintendent ALL get 30-45 paid days off a year. You do the math.
It’s Scarborough, they can afford it.
You can easily pay that for parking in Boston. You will pay that in NYC.
Quit crying and pay up or take the bus for free.
I don’t understand how this has not been challenged with a lawsuit. It is a public school supported by Scarborough residents. These residents are told If you cannot afford private school or cannot home school than your children must go to public school. And by the way we will charge them to park at the public school. Could this be construed as double taxing. Aren’t fees collected by government to support public facilities considered to be taxes. I think if someone wanted to push this issue far enough it would be easily defeated in a courtroom.
Principal, teachers, etc. also should have to pay!
Driving to school is a privilige, not a right. If you WANT the privilige, then you can pay for it.
They all ready do pay its called gas tax an sale tax
Save your money kiddies. Take the bus. It’s ok to be just another student.