The price of parking passes increased to $100 this year. Almost 400 students hold parking permits, which have been sold at $90 for the last five years, according to Principal Dave Stephens.
Overall, Plainfield School District 202 brings in more than $190,000 in parking pass fees alone, according to Rose Kidd, Director of Fiscal Services.However, Central collects the least amount out of all the district high schools, with a little over $37,000 in parking passes sold during the 2016-17 school year.
This situation could be due to the fact that the school is within close proximity to off campus parking, a benefit not available at the other Plainfield high schools. Some students believe that they are better off “just taking those extra few steps.”
Even with the district bringing in a significant amount of money through parking fees and money allotted through the district budget, they still faced an $80,000 deficit between fees and expenses. This, among other factors, was a reason for the $10 increase.
“I don’t like that we have to pay ten dollars more than last year,” said Corryn Russ, junior.
Other students who drive, like Audrey Nelson, senior, felt like the increase did not directly affect them.
“It didn’t make much of a difference to me because I didn’t pay for it, but my dad did, and he did not like it,” Nelson said.
While a portion of funding for parking lots is from the district budget, some extra repairs may be needed by individual schools. This was the case for a new drainage system that cost almost $6,000.
“It’s the things you don’t think about that end up costing more money than you want them to,” Stephens said. Four years of asphalt maintenance and snow removal costs Plainfield Central over $90,000.
Stephens believes that the price will continue to stay the same; however, this amount is subject to change as the district signs new contacts over the years, along with fluctuations in snowfall amounts and maintenance costs.
“I would not anticipate a cost increase unless there is a significant change in the contract,” Stephens said.