Cost hike curbs Natrona County School District driver's ed enrollment

Cost hike curbs Natrona County School District driver's ed enrollment Natrona County School District driver's education students opened their textbooks the first morning of summer classes Tuesday. The teachers have the advantage of neutrality -- along with an override brake on the passenger side of the student-driver vehicle. "To me, the mirror keeps me out of harm's way just as much as anything else," Sanders said. The teachers want the students to be as calm as possible. "I was freaking out," Johnson said. I'll be more confident. O'Briant wasn't sure what to do, so she put on the brakes after Sanders pulled the wheel just slightly to steer the van out of the way. "We were all scared," said McKena Silva, one of three other students in the class van. Most of the students do well on their first driving attempt, even if there tend to be a few "curb checks," Nolan said. Adding to the enrollment issue is the fact that these days fewer insurance companies offer discounts for students who complete driver's education. Desmond Bennion with The Bon Agency said more companies offer discounts for good grades, but he still thinks driver's education is a good idea. Shannon O'Briant's first day of driver's education class and her second time ever behind the wheel proved exciting, but not in the way she'd hoped. The increase was caused by less funding available for summer school and the overall cost of providing the course, according to Mark Mathern, NCSD associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction. That takes practice. So students will spend at least an hour a day for the next 12 days behind the wheel on Casper's streets. By the end of the course, students will gain the foundation to help them continue practicing safe driving. Most summers, about 125 students enroll in the driver's education courses, according to instructor Tim Nolan. "I'm going to watch vehicles more because they do not really know what they're doing," O'Briant said. Laura Johnson's second time on the road was nerve-wracking, as she learned to move into turning lanes for the first time. Tensions already existing between a parent and child, such as a recent argument, also can take a driving lesson around a wrong turn. The decline in summer enrollment concerns Nolan, who said the course is an important first step in teaching students how to drive. "This does not completely prepare you to drive," Nolan said. Nolan and instructor Brian Sanders attributed the enrollment decline to the rise in the summer session course fees, which increased from $375 to $500 this year. "People can't afford it," Nolan said. During a lunch break Wednesday afternoon, the students talked about their first driving session. Cost hike curbs Natrona County School District driver's ed enrollment Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 03/06/2012