With the first day of classes just around the corner, many juniors and seniors are preoccupied with where to park this school year, and for good reason. Hundreds of juniors were unable to attain a parking pass for the 2022-23 school year, and with construction continuing on campus for the stadium renovation, less spots are available in the parking lots than anticipated.

Parking Lottery

This year Middleton High School (MHS) and Clark Street Community School (CSCS) administration used a parking pass lottery rather than the first come, first served system of the past to distribute parking passes.

Bobbie Reinhart, Associate Principal at MHS, oversees student and staff parking. Reinhart received complaints in past years from students and families who struggled to log-in to MyPaymentsPlus to buy the passes when they became available, a problem created by a variety of factors including slow loading times on the inundated site, inconvenient release times and limited device access.

In an effort to make the system more equitable, administration gave students two weeks to sign up for the lottery through a Google form sent out on July 13 and closed on July 27. On Aug. 3, students who entered the lottery were notified of their parking status.

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Lauren Lamson

The form collected basic information to identify the students. Some students entered the lottery under multiple emails, either intentionally or by mistake. Administration reviewed each survey to make sure every student who signed up was only accounted for once before assigning passes.

All 370 seniors who entered the lottery received priority and were given a chance to buy a parking pass, leaving only 50 spots for the 292 juniors who applied. Juniors were selected through a random number generator. Once selected, students could purchase a pass for $147 on MyPaymentsPlus. 

“We would have liked to give more of our juniors a chance at purchasing a pass,” Reinhart said. 

Because of limited parking space, that was not possible. There are 420 parking spots available for students in the current lots. The new South Lot added 80 student parking spots this year, but Findorff is using 80 spots in the Stadium Lot as staging space for stadium construction, which will continue through the spring.

Students who did have the chance to buy a pass on MyPaymentsPlus can pick up their passes at registration on August 16, or they will be mailed to the address students provided in the Google form.

Safety

Now that CSCS has moved into the combined high school building, toddlers will be attending 4K at the old CSCS building. Students should exercise increased caution in the Northwest Lot, remembering that children move quickly and are less aware of parking lot danger than adults. Thousands of children are injured each year in nontraffic crashes, which include parking lot accidents. According to the US Department of Transportation, 84 percent of children injured in such accidents are 4 years old and younger.

Students are also urged to have heightened awareness around construction sites in the Stadium Lot. The construction crew is aware that new drivers will be using the lots, but students are still expected to respect all construction signage and should avoid blocking entrances to the construction zone.

Last year the administration noticed students driving at dangerously high speeds on Lee Street, especially around the lunch hour. Due to pedestrians, cyclists and construction, drivers must maintain the posted speed of 10 mph.

Lee Street will also be the site of bus drop off and pick up and will be closed to drivers between 7:50 and 8:30 am every morning to make space for buses, so students parking in the Stadium Lot should enter the lot via Park Lawn Place or Bristol Street. The South Lot will not be interrupted, and students can access that lot by Bristol Street. Parents and guardians can drop off students in the driveway by the South Entrance, which is adjacent to the South Lot.

Any car damage or safety problems in the parking lots can be reported to administration and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Street Parking

Students planning to park in the street cannot park within the areas designated as permit only, which surround much of the high school. The City of Middleton gives MHS and CSCS street parking permits to distribute to staff, and students do not get permits in accordance with city ordinance. Staff members rely on street parking because they have fewer spots in the parking lots than students. Nearby residents depend on permit-only space to park at their homes.