Budget Cuts Hit Driver Classes
Antsy teen-agers who are chafing to finish driver training classes at high school and take Dad’s car for a spin may have to wait a lot longer now as a result of slashes made to the state budget by Gov. George Deukmejian.
On Tuesday, the governor cut a $21-million program that funds the majority of high school driver training courses.
About 90% of all school districts currently offer such training, said a spokesman for state Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig. Districts receive an average of $80 per student from the state to fund the training.
“An awful lot of the districts have indicated they cannot run the program on their own,” said Leslie McCage, an analyst in the state Department of Education who is responsible for apportioning money to school districts.
“We may just not have it,” says Mark Facer, a financial consultant to the Pasadena Unified School District.
Deukmejian axed the state funding but said he wants the Legislature to dip into Proposition 98 funds to pay for the program. But William L. Rukeyser, a spokesman for Honig, said Proposition 98 cannot be used to fund such training.
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