A car is a big financial undertaking with gas, insurance, maintenance, and soon the pricey fee to park on campus. Starting with the 2019-2020 school year, the price for a parking spot on Etowah campus will increase from $75 to $90.

  “We don’t know [why the price was raised]. We turn it into county, and they use it to pay for campus police, fixing the parking lot, and other safety [precautions],” Beth Reams, Athletic Director, said.

  While the reasons to raise the price of a parking spot are left a mystery, the funds will be used for something school-related. The money may not directly be going into Etowah’s budget, but it will eventually make its way to Etowah.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s a big deal that parking spaces are going up since it is only $15 more and other schools charge double what Etowah does,” Kylie Jones, sophomore, said.

  The Cherokee County School District office sets the same fees for all of the schools, and even though the cost can help Etowah, some students still find it unfair. The school does not designate what the money will be used for, and it may not be used for something students feel they will benefit from.

“It’s dumb that they raised the prices so much; it’s just unreasonable,” Emily Montenegro,sophomore, said.

  Some are speculating that the money is being granted to Etowah to build gates that will guard parking lots.

“We don’t know what the status of that is, but it would be to limit access, and that is something Horn is working on. It’s not a rumor; it is a discussion,” Reams said.

  To some students, gates feel like an unnecessary waste of money. Outsiders have not previously caused an issue, and security threats have almost always been caused by Etowah students, who have unlimited access.

“I mean, it’s ridiculous that we have to pay $90 to park at school because even $75 is a lot, and gates would just all around be stupid,” Isabelle Brown, junior, said.

  While some may see it as a way to lock students in, administration see gates as a deterrent to unwanted company.

“[Gates] would help better regulate people coming in and out of the school,” Daniel Efunwa, junior, said.

  Most of the upcoming school year remains a mystery, but every year there tends to be a new rule or regulation. No matter how students feel about it in the moment, it eventually becomes the new normal.