As a young driver prepares to turn the key in the ignition, parents anxiously buckle their seatbelts and brace for the ride. Although seatbelts may be effortlessly buckled, Ann Arbor Public Schools' free driver education program is experiencing some difficulties clicking into place. Driver education is an important program Ann Arbor offers, and the district should take action to preserve it.
Currently, the district continues its driver education program even though it lacks adequate state funding. Because of this insufficient funding, the schools carry a deficit of over $225,000 for last year alone. Furthermore, the district's deficit for driver education averages approximately $180,000 a year over the past decade. As financial difficulties for the program mount, some administrators have proposed eliminating the program
Discontinuing the driver education program may alleviate some of the district's financial concerns, but such an action would add to students' economic difficulties. Currently, 1,150 students take part in the district's program. Canceling this free public service would force students to pay close to $200 to enroll in private programs. Driver education means more than learning to successfully swerve around orange cones, and it is a great service to the students as well as the entire Ann Arbor community.
The governing body of the state of Michigan should be more supportive of the district's driver education programs. Yet, it is important that funding for the driver education program not divert funding from the traditional core subjects. But Ann Arbor is a city that appreciates the value of an education and the necessity of teaching its children to become responsible drivers.
With the state not providing enough to cover the financial needs of the program, Ann Arbor schools may need to take action to resolve the financial dilemma. A possible solution to the district's challenge would be to offer driver education for a minimal fee that would keep the program more economically feasible for students and the district.
The danger of ending driver education extends not only from tight purse strings, but to the curves and bends of the Michigan roads. With so many teens killed in automobile accidents, programs that produce careful, safe drivers are a necessity. The convenience and school setting of a district-provided program are a great resource to future drivers.
The ability to drive an automobile is a critical life skill. Although textbooks may instruct students on the rise and fall of great kings and mathematical equations, they do not always teach students skills pertaining to daily life. Getting into a car and shifting into gear is a common daily routine - and an essential skill to possess as one grows into adulthood. Teaching its students to be responsible drivers is a part of a school's obligation to enhance and strengthen its students' abilities.
Although Ann Arbor's funding for driver education is in danger, the district should try to preserve its program. A school-supported driver education course teaches students essential safety skills and saves them from paying generous sums of money to learn these skills elsewhere. As a city that presents so many driving hazards (with one-way streets and countless pedestrians), Ann Arbor must continue to produce safe, skilled drivers to protect the lives of pedestrians and those behind the wheel.
05-18-98
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