There are two main parking lots at Dexter Southfield. One is on the roof of the Kraft Athletic Facility and one is behind the B-Wing and extends down next to Main Field. Getting a coveted ‘roof spot’ is not an easy feat. The lot fills up by 7:30 most mornings. In addition to this, parking behind Sohier starts to fill up around 8:00. Students who want to sleep in during study hall or have an appointment in the morning often have trouble finding parking later in the morning, so many resort to creating new parking spaces or parking illegally.
Dexter Southfield’s upper school has expanded in recent years with the size of each graduating class increasing annually. Additionally, with students reclassing and repeating grades, we now have more older students than before. A larger and older student population means that there are exponentially more cars than there were ten years ago, but with the same number of spots.
Additionally, numerous construction projects on campus add to the number of people driving on campus every day. Whether workers are parking in spots or spots are blocked off due to renovations, construction has decreased the already limited number of spots to park.
So, what can be done? One solution is to limit who can drive onto campus. Parking passes are needed for students to park, so limiting those to upperclassmen would limit the number of drivers to school. Dexter Southfield boasts an impressive school bus fleet that reached, according to the school’s website, “78+ communities.” Most students are covered by this range, and those that are not could be given exceptions.
However, one of the biggest caveats to the bus solution is sports. A key component of Dexter Southfield, sports practices take place after school hours for all upper school students and games also are after school hours for middle and upper school students. One solution to this could be a late bus. Offered at other similar private schools, like Belmont Hill School, practices and games can be scheduled, when possible, into a period that allows for a later bus departure. While waiting, students can study, meet with teachers, and get ahead on homework.
Another option is accessible public transportation access. If the school could offer a way to get from a bus stop or MBTA train station, many teachers and students would prefer to get to school that way. This would be cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and often faster due to the absence of traffic.
The most direct solution would be adding parking spaces to campus, but it is worth considering alternative options that might offer more benefit to the school community.
