To pay to park on campus, along with the information of your car you must supply the office with $20. It’s a ridiculous request to make of the students at Akins High School.

Even though the money goes to things like upkeep of the school, it’s not fair that we at Akins and Bowie have to pay 20, and students at McCallum pay 5, and Crockett pay 10.

That may not seem like a lot of money, but to some it can make all the difference in the world. It can buy someone less fortunate a meal to get through the day, or it can buy someone who is cold a warm jacket.

The Austin American Statesman posted an article in 2011 stating that twenty-eight percent of residents under 18 live in poverty.

Even if a small amount of those cuts are for the schools upkeep, there are other ways to get money.

Fundraising for would be a great idea to raise money for the school building. Have a bake sale, host a car wash, or sell catalogs filled with coupons. Don’t take more money from the students that need it to live a healthy, happy life.

The families living in Austin already pay so much towards the school district from their taxes. In addition, the families that do actually have a child in the school system pay extra fees for their kids like cafeteria lunches and other odds and ends.

Some people may argue with me and say, “At least you have a car.”

But the car I’m using isn’t really mine; I technically share it with my brother. Since he lives on campus and has a job right down the street from his college, he uses a bike and doesn’t need the car. My family just barely scraped enough money together to buy the car for my brother and I, and it wasn’t easy.

I’ll pay the $20 fee to park on campus, but I don’t like it and I don’t expect anyone else does either.