Driver education classes could probably resume in Cumberland County in late October if the state provides funding, according to the program's coordinator.
Phil McGirt, who coordinates driver education for the Cumberland County school system, said Thursday it would probably take about four weeks to get classes going, including at least a couple of weeks for students to register. Classrooms and teachers would also have to be scheduled.
The program typically operates year-round but was suspended indefinitely by the school system as of Aug. 31 because of uncertainty about state funding. Driver education has been one of several points of contention in the protracted state budget battle. The North Carolina Senate originally fought to end state support for the $26 million program, provided through the public schools.
Now, though, Senate and House budget negotiators have reportedly agreed to fund driver education. But the local program will remain stalled until the long-overdue state budget is passed. Legislative leaders have said votes could come next week.
McGirt said legislators have also discussed making improvements to driver education. He said he doesn't know what that might involve and how long it might take to accommodate any required changes.
The delays mean some Cumberland County teenagers will likely have to wait longer than they'd hoped to start driving.
Cumberland County typically has two fall sessions of driver education. McGirt said the first session likely would have had 300-400 students in it.
If the program resumes, he said, it will take a while to deal with the backlog.
"All year we're going to be behind trying to catch up," he said.
If space was limited, he said, the oldest students would have to receive preference.
"We'll just do the best we can to try to catch up with them," he said.
Under current North Carolina law, anyone under the age of 18 has to pass an approved driver education course before obtaining conditional driving privileges through the state's graduated licensing program.
Public school systems are required to offer steeply discounted driver-education courses to eligible residents in their districts, including students in home schools and private schools. Schools can charge students no more than $65 for the courses, which advocates say cost $300 to $400 through private driving schools. State funding has helped make up the difference.
But the $65 fee - which has risen gradually with cutbacks in state funding - is still onerous for many low-income families, McGirt said.
"I've had parents call before and ask me if we can defer the $65 fee until they got paid or if we had a payment plan," he said. "There are a lot of parents that cannot do $65 and they certainly couldn't do $400."
McGirt said he shudders at a proposal to end driver education and leave it to parents to teach their teens to drive.
"Parents are not prepared," he said. "I mean, I just can't imagine my children or my grandchildren not having any formal training before I put them on the road. It's bad enough as it is with formal training."
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