Illegal parking by students is on the rise near Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.

Classes started again last week. For the first time in over a decade, all high school students in Juneau are under one roof and do not have to be spread across two campuses.

Since classes began, students, parents and residents have complained that there are not enough parking spaces at the high school for the additional students.

City Manager Katie Koester said the city is aware of the parking problems near the school and is working with the district to find solutions.

“The reality is that parking is scarce,” she said.

According to police, some students blocked bus lanes and driveways and took up space in the faculty parking lot.

Before school started, the district tried to alleviate the parking problem by introducing a “park-and-ride” service where students could park at Thunder Mountain Middle School and take the bus to Juneau-Douglas.

Superintendent Frank Hauser said this is still a viable option for students. He said it is not the first time the high school has had to deal with so many students on campus.

“Juneau-Douglas High School once had about 1,900 students, and right now that’s hundreds of students less than it was at its peak,” he said. “So that’s something we have to take into account when we look at the places down there.”

Hauser said the district is not considering building a parking garage or additional parking structures, but is exploring ways to work with the city, state and the University of Alaska Southeast to find available spaces in the Marine Tech building and nearby harbors.

Mayor Beth Weldon, who is up for re-election in October, is also concerned about the issue and hopes to see spaces open as soon as possible.

“We’re taking this very seriously,” she said. “But as you can imagine, it’s taking a while to figure out who can give up which seats.”

A spokesman for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said the state is also currently reviewing the parking issue.