Hundreds of spots await as the North Penn students rush to be the first to occupy them. Now the senior class has filled a majority of the spots, numerous juniors are patiently waiting on the parking pass list with hopes they will soon get to claim a parking space of their own. But no matter if your spot is front row amongst all the teacher’s cars or if you are hidden in the back of S lot crammed against Snyder fields, one thing remains the same for all students, the parking fee. But ever wonder, “where is my parking pass money going?”

With an average parking pass fee of $50 for the year, many North Penn students may wonder where their parking pass payment is going. This might particularly cross the minds of students paying this fee themselves, which could be hefty for a young high school student. After talking to assistant principal Nicholas Taylor, many students will feel more at ease knowing that this money is being used to help benefit the school.

“The money from the student parking fees is deposited into the general account to be used for expenditures that are needed to support school and district programs,” Taylor explained.

While this may still confuse many students since they are paying to benefit the school and all of its offerings rather than a spot, it seems this system has proved to be beneficial for multiple years. This system has also shown to be beneficial in other schools in our area as well.

“Students paying for the privilege to park at the high school has been a common practice for many years. Moreover, several of the surrounding high schools such as Central Bucks, Souderton, Methacton, Wissahickon, and more require their students to pay for parking,” Taylor continued.

Another question students may have is why the common pay for a parking pass is $50. While it is unclear where this number came from, the district’s main reasoning for this amount is likely because this is the typical amount asked for by other districts.

“I am not sure why the decision was made that the parking fee would be $50. However, $50 is the same fee that many of the aforementioned schools charge” Taylor shared.

Unfortunately, there are no exceptions for students who may be unable to pay the required fee, but there is a simple way to bring it down. If this fee still seems daunting, you can reduce your fee to just $10 next year by applying for a parking pass early.

“Applying early allows for students to not be accounted for on buses which lessens the burden of our transportation department. The students that pay the full $50 are those who apply later after transportation has already been accounted to those student drivers on buses to and from school,” Taylor shared.

If you were skeptical about applying for a pass this year due to the fees that come with having a parking space, hopefully, your skepticism has been diminished knowing that your payment is helping to make the North Penn School District the best it can be. If there are any further questions about parking passes, you can reach out to Mr. Taylor through his email [email protected].