Los Altos High School students are commonly seen in the library scrambling to print out an essay or lab report for their next class. They also scramble for something else: loose change.
However, as of Monday, March 11, students can use the printers in the LAHS library for free. Originally, printing was 10 cents per page for black-and-white paper and 25 cents per page for color paper. Students who couldn’t pay for the printer could place a temporary loan and were expected to pay back the library later.
The change was pushed for and implemented by Principal Tracey Runeare, who wasn’t aware of the policy until recently. Runeare felt the previous system didn’t align with her philosophy that “just about everything should be free for students.”
“If the school has the money to pay for a resource, even if it is technically ‘legal’ according to the state, I would like it to be free or as low cost as possible to students and their families,” Runeare said.
Since this policy change was not publicized, many students were surprised when they went to pay and found out they didn’t have to.
“Reactions have been really subtle so far,” Librarian Gordon Jack said. “Everybody’s still bringing out their wallets to pay, and we’re like, ‘You don’t have to pay anymore.’ And they kind of look at us like, ‘Really?’ or ‘Is this just for me?’”
The responses from students have been positive so far. Many find the policy change relieving, as they can now use the printer without having to carry coins on them.
“I think that the free printer is amazing because I always forget to bring coins when I need to print things out for my English class,” sophomore Aidan Sheridan said. “And then I always end up having to pay a loan, and then I always forget to pay it back. I think the free printer is great.”
“The new system is super nice now because for AP Lang, you have to constantly be printing things out, and that 10 cents kind of builds up,” junior Ariana Motaghiannezam said. “I think I have three dollars on there now.”
Due to this change in policy, scrambling for loose change will no longer be a worry for students. Rather than being concerned about students abusing the printer in the library, Runeare fully encourages more students to make use of this free resource.
“Now that the printing is free, I think it will be interesting to see if more students access the service,” Runeare said.