Driver Training

On Oct. 9, The Times carried an article on public high school driver-training classes being suspended because of state budget problems. The story noted that most of the schools in the state have canceled classes at this time. The article quoted Cynthia Katz, assistant director of the Department of Finance, stating that the governor had the right to veto driver-training funding because education was not participating in a $3.6-billion budget problem.

Readers need to know that the governor and the Department of Finance are being dishonest in regard to funding for this program! The situation is that driver-training funding is legally set up different from any other school-funding program. Driver-training funds are collected from an assessment on traffic fines in courts throughout the state in one year and then used the following year to reimburse school districts for driver-training class expenses. Traffic fine assessments were collected in our courts for driver-training from July 1, 1989, to June 30, 1990, and by law were to be paid to school districts during the 1990-91 school year for their expenses occurring from July 1, 1989, to June 30, 1990. In 1953 when the Stanley law took effect, school districts were required to use their local funds to establish driver-training classes.

The governor has in effect changed policy without going through the required legislative procedures (which includes public hearings, etc.) Legal action is now pending (but costly to say the least). Needless to say, many kids are being affected by the governor’s shortsighted action against the education community.

JERRY L. GAINES

Past President

California Assn. for Safety Education

San Pedro