Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 1, 1991 TAG: 9104010238
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: NEAL THOMPSON EDUCATION WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
They'll have to begin asking for money.
To collect money for tight budgets, dozens of schools districts - including Salem - are jacking up their fees for driver education classes and behind-the-wheel instruction.
And some districts that had never before charged students have decided to start.
In Roanoke, students will be charged $25 next year if they want to take the class. Roanoke School Board members had originally discussed charging $75, but members of a budget advisory committee and some PTA members thought that was too much and recommended $25. Also, to help students from low-income families, those in the free or reduced lunch programs will have to pay $10 and $15, respectively.
The School Board approved those fees March 7 when it adopted its budget for next year.
Billy G. Johnson, supervisor of driver education in the state Department of Education, said 34 of the state's 131 school divisions charged fees for behind-the-wheel instruction this year, up from 21 last year.
In Salem, budget crunching was just one of the things that forced them to raise their fee from $30 to $50 next year. The higher fee also was needed to balance increased gas prices and car-leasing costs, said Joe Kirby, supervisor of middle and secondary education.
The fee is even higher for summer school: $125.
"This is an expensive program and I don't think anybody in the area charges enough for what it costs," Kirby said. "We just try to break even."
Pat Witten, president of Roanoke's Central Council PTA, said parents have gotten spoiled by school systems providing extras - such as driver education - on top of the basics. "I don't think everything should be given to you for free," she said.
Witten said members of her group had opposed the originally proposed $75 fee. But she hasn't heard any complaints about the city's $25 fee.
Witten said she paid nearly $200 to send her children to a private driver training school.
Kirby also said that driver education is an extra service that schools provide at a cheaper rate than they could get commercially.
Roanoke Valley Driver Training School, for example, charges students 17 and younger $185 for 36 hours of classroom instruction and 14 hours of behind-the-wheel training.
Bedford County raised its fee from $50 to $75 this year. Bedford Education Center Principal Pat Sherman thinks it's part of a trend.
"I think we're going to see more of this type of thing," Sherman said. "Students are going to have to pay more of the way."
Other area districts have avoided that trend.
For several years, Roanoke County has been charging $75 for its driver education and behind-the-wheel program. The School Board has no plans to increase that. No increases are planned in Franklin County's $25 fee. And free programs in Pulaski County and Radford also aren't likely to change next year.
Elsewhere, though, the fees are jumping.
In Virginia Beach, where behind-the-wheel is now free, officials are thinking about a $75 fee next year.
Suffolk, which has been charging $50 for behind-the-wheel driver education, may double the cost to $100 next year.
That is the maximum allowed by state law.
Because school budgets are still being set, Johnson didn't know how many districts plan to increase fees this fall. All fees must be approved by the state and cannot exceed the cost of operating the driver education program.
Behind-the-wheel training is the fastest way for teens to get a Virginia driver's license. Passing a classroom driver education course and taking the optional behind-the-wheel class allows students to apply for a regular license at age 16.
Driver education isn't mandatory, though. At age 18, only the classroom training is required. And from age 19 up, the only requirement is a passing grade on the driving test.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
by CNB