By Ethan Miller ’23
Dr. Michael Smith, CVHS principal, has confirmed that the cost for parking passes will be lowered to $40 starting in the fall of 2023. The decision was recently voted on and confirmed by the school board. Following parent and student requests, the school began to explore a cost reduction.
“We started looking at it, looked into what other schools were charging and so forth,” Smith said. “We realized we were the highest charging district in at least Lancaster County. We were charging the most amount of any school district that we saw. I think the next district was $50.”
Smith met with class officers to discuss possible solutions, as well as the district office to explore cost impacts on the budget.
“That money, in the past, has gone to maintenance,” Smith said. “So, painting lines, those kind of things, but also has helped support our school resource officer and offset that money.”
The school splits the cost with the police department to pay the salary of the school resource officer. After discussion, the board agreed that a reduction in cost was necessary and greenlit the project.
The committee of students also proposed some additional alternatives, such as passes that hang on mirrors in lieu of window stickers to allow for transfer between vehicles. Reserved parking spots are also in discussion but no changes have been announced yet.
Each marking period will cost $10. Smith confirmed that refunds will not be offered for those who paid the higher cost this year, and the reduced price will go into effect for the 2023-2024 school year.