MORE STUDENTS LIKELY TO TAKE DRIVING COURSE

Enrollment in Cape Girardeau Central High School's summer driver education program could increase due to elimination of the school-year driver education program

Early enrollment for the summer program is under way now.

The school-year program was among budget cuts approved by the Board of Education last month. Elimination of the program is scheduled to save $60,000.

As a result of the budget reduction, Principal Dan Milligan said: "We're anticipating that the summer program will see increased enrollment. We really won't know how much until the first day we have classes."

"Normally we'll have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 to 40 students," Milligan said. Two teachers handle that load.

The course is open to students from Cape Girardeau and throughout the area.

"We have made plans if we do get a large number of students," Milligan said. "We will get some more cars and more instructors and try to accommodate them."

The class begins June 8 and continues through June 26. Milligan said while early enrollment is available, traditionally many students wait until the course begins to sign up.

All students must be 15 years of age or over at the time the course starts. The cost per student is $120, which must be paid when students enroll.

Students may enroll at the athletic director's office on any weekday.

The initial part of the program consists of about three weeks of classroom instruction. The driving phase of the program follows. Grades are issued on a pass or fail basis and will not carry high school credit. The course does meet requirements for reduced car insurance rates.

The summer driver education program pays for itself.

During the school year, the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School offers driver education through the adult education program after the school day.

"That would be another option for students who wanted to take that course," he said.

Milligan said he hasn't heard many complaints about the elimination of the school-year driver education program. "Some of the kids who had signed up for driver education were upset," he said.

"The recommendation really didn't come from any of the committees," Milligan said. "It came from the New Funds Committee. No one knew anything about it in advance."

Driver education has been a popular course with students. "I would say it probably handles about 95 percent of our sophomores," Milligan said. "It was a class that was well received by students. It was purely an elective class, but a large percentage of students elected to take driver education."