SAN MARCOS — Student drivers commuting to and from San Marcos High School are struggling to find parking due to a lack of school-issued parking permits, forcing many to park in front of local businesses and surrounding neighborhoods several blocks from campus.
Parents and students have long been frustrated with the school’s parking permit system. Each year, only a select number of students — with seniors getting priority — receive a parking permit, allowing them to park in the student parking lot.
As one of the largest high schools in San Diego County with over 3,400 students, there are plenty of student drivers. However, with only 445 spaces in the student parking lot and 500 permits given out this school year, the lot only caters to some students that want to park at school.
Some seniors and most underclassmen who do not obtain a parking permit have to resort to other parking options surrounding the high school. Most students either park in nearby neighborhoods and walk to school, or park at businesses across San Marcos High, which puts students’ vehicles at risk of being towed.
“It is really difficult having to walk almost a mile to get to school every morning after already driving; you have to leave earlier,” said Ella Tackett, a sophomore at San Marcos High who parks in one of the nearby neighborhoods each morning.
Tackett got her license recently but did not obtain a school-issued parking permit.
“If it’s raining, I do not want to have to walk, and that disrupts my parent’s schedules because they have to drive me,” Tackett said.
The issue also affects parents of students who need a parking permit, as it conflicts with their schedule. Some rely on their eldest children to drive their siblings to school, making it difficult for students who must resort to other parking options.
“As a parent, I am really frustrated and concerned that these kids cannot park at their own school,” said Tom Primosch, father of student Allison Primosch.
Tom said he relies on Allison, who does not have a designated parking space or school-issued permit, to take her younger siblings and herself to school.
“My parents both work, so I am the only way my little siblings can get to school,” said Allison, a junior at San Marcos High.
Despite being an upperclassman, Allison cannot park at school — only a few juniors acquire parking permits.
‘The only way all three of us can get to school is parking in the neighborhoods and walking through the rain and the cold just to get there,” Allison said.
The community also has ideas of how the administration could solve the parking issue.
“Maybe make it all first come, first serve or maybe give teachers a commute to the high school from the district office,” Tom said.
Students also park in lots at nearby businesses due to the school’s parking system, but regardless if companies are okay with it, students could still get towed.
Eugenio’s, an Italian restaurant located in a business complex across the street from San Marcos High School, occasionally allows students to park in spots surrounding the restaurant.
“We haven’t had many specific issues, but I know it is an issue for security,” Katherine said, who manages the restaurant with her father, Eugenio.
Katherine said security patrolling the areas would tow students’ cars if parked in designated business spaces, even if the lots are mostly empty.
While many students and parents wish the school could find better parking alternatives for commuting students, Erin Garcia, assistant superintendent of business services at San Marcos Unified School District, said district administrators are trying solutions and doing their best to remedy the situation.
“When the school was first built, we had to go through lots of regulatory agencies, including sufficient parking,” Garcia said. “We met all the regulations at that time, but since the school has grown over time, more students drive than what was originally anticipated when it was built, and we very much want to come up with a solution because we know it is an issue. The problem is that the school is landlocked; we don’t have space around the school if we want to put another big parking lot up.”
The administration has also looked at possible resolutions, such as reaching out and negotiating with different property owners close to the school.
“We have reached out to neighboring property owners, but it appears at this time they want very high prices to allow students to park there,” Garcia said. “If we were to partner up with one that has the ability to have some open parking spots, it looks like, at this time, they would charge us a very high fee. We don’t think that is financially viable for us at this time, and we do not want to pass on that cost to students.”
Garcia also said the school’s parking permits have always been free for students, a benefit the administration would like to keep intact.
San Marcos Unified acknowledged students are struggling to find parking spaces, a problem the school district has tried to solve for years and will continue to address.
“If anyone out there has some suggestions or solutions, we’re happy to engage in those conversations,” Garcia said.
