AUSTIN, Texas — Three parking spots at Westlake High School are going for a hefty price as part of a school fundraiser, including one that went for $20,000.
The money raised from the reserved student parking spots will go to the Westlake PTO, which helps fund requests from teachers and staff as well as support campus activities that “enhance our students’ high school experience,” according to the organization’s website.
The $20,000 spot sold on Monday, the first day of the fundraiser. It was offered as an option “for that one lucky person who is not interested in bidding and just wants to support the WHS PTO.”
The other two spots ended up selling for $10,000 and $6,700.
The spots are in the school’s TLC parking lot, according to the auction website. That lot is located across the street from the school near the softball fields.
For the past several years, we have auctioned off parking spaces as a way to raise money to give back to Westlake High School. We are grateful for our Westlake families who choose to support our programs which help fund all of these efforts and more.
This year's $20,000 bid beats out the top price for Westlake PTO’s 2021 fundraiser, when the highest bid was $12,000 for a parking spot.
Eanes ISD policy allows for up to four parking spots to be sold as part of Westlake PTO’s fundraising each year.
Students who wish to buy parking spots outside of the fundraiser can purchase permits for $150 for seniors and $40 per term for juniors, according to the Westlake High School website. Seniors get priority for those parking spots.
The PTO released the following statement on Wednesday:
"WHS PTO is a parent teacher organization that encourages, assists and supports Westlake High School staff, teachers and administration in providing a high-quality education for all WHS students.
"We help fund many activities and improvements throughout the school year. Several examples of what we help fund are staff appreciation lunches, classroom supplies as needed, supplies for Senior Service Day and miscellaneous campus improvements.
"In the last few years, we funded outdoor spaces that serve both as learning spaces and areas where students can gather at lunch or other times. For this school year, we are focusing on continuing the improvement of outdoor spaces for staff and student use. Research at the K-12 level indicates that outdoor experiences lead to higher student engagement and test scores.
"For the past several years, we have auctioned off parking spaces as a way to raise money to give back to Westlake High School. We are grateful for our Westlake families who choose to support our programs which help fund all of these efforts and more."
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