Fee for behind-the-wheel instruction proposed

Fee for behind-the-wheel instruction proposed A proposed student fee for behind-the-wheel driver instruction is on the agenda for the Wilkes Board of Education's regularly scheduled meeting for June, which starts at 5:30 tonight. A $45 fee is proposed for students when they take the driving portion of driver education from a school instructor, said Stephanie Williams, a Wilkes school system administrator whose responsibilities include driver's education. The Wilkes schools presently don't charge students anything for driver education, although state legislation enacted into law last year lets public school systems charge up to $45 per student for any phase of driver education they offer. Mrs. Williams said the fee is proposed to help offset state funding cuts. She said the Wilkes schools received $248,000 from the state for driver education in 2009-10, $203,000 in 2010-11 and $172,000 in 2011-12. "We had to help support it (driver education) with local funds this year and last year and a little bit the year before last," said Mrs. Williams. The Wilkes school system employs 10 people who provide classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, plus upkeep, insurance, gas and other instructional vehicles costs. Six of the 10 teach other courses or work as administrators in the school system. The other four are retired from other positions but are still considered full-time school system employees on the basis of working as driver education instructors, said Mrs. Williams. She said public school systems in North Carolina are required to provide driver education instruction, but most do this through contracts with instructors rather than employing them. Ms. Williams said it costs less to have contracted instructors provide driver education. In January, the Wilkes school board agreed to participate in a pilot program which offers students the option of taking the classroom portion of driver education online. This was done due to reduce costs after state funding was cut. The N.C. Department of Public Instruction deducts a fee of $20 for every online student from a school system's driver education allotment. DPI pays this to the online course vendor chosen by the school system. Once a student is registered, no refunds are allowed. In Wilkes, this $20 fee wasn't passed on to students. Wilkes school officials haven't yet completed their evaluation of the pilot program. The decision on whether to continue the program next year will be based on the evaluation. Driver education funding forthe Wilkes schools both years is situated on having about 875 students eligible to participate in driver ed. The three people elected to the Wilkes Board of Education on May 8 were scheduled to be sworn in tonight, but this has been delayed due to remaining uncertainty about the outcome of  the race for seats held by incumbents Coleen Bush and Rick Lankford. Mrs. Bush, who is the chairman, filed a protest over an irregularity with one ballot. She presently is trailing by one vote. Fee for behind-the-wheel instruction proposed Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 05/06/2012