ORANGE : Schools to Curtail Training for Drivers

State budget cuts have forced the Orange Unified School District to cancel its behind-the-wheel training program for student drivers.

The financially strapped district will continue to offer classroom instruction in driver’s education at its four high schools, but behind-the-wheel training will no longer be offered and will have to be taken privately.

Six hours of behind-the-wheel training at an accredited driving school is required before a student under the age of 18 can get a driver’s license. Lessons at private schools can cost $150 to $250, according to several local driving schools.

More than $1.5 million must be cut from the district’s budget as a result of state budget cuts this summer. The driver’s training program cost the district about $130,000 last year, said Roger Duthoy, assistant superintendent for secondary education.

Almost $1 million had already been cut from the district’s budget earlier in the year, Supt. Norm Guith said.

“There are still some uncertainties regarding whether we have gone far enough in this process,” Guith said. “Schools everywhere are facing this issue, so we are not alone. That does not help, however, in explaining to staff who are facing job changes and to parents and students who are losing valuable programs.”