Nazareth Area School District may Leave its Driver's Education Program by the Side of the Road

Driver's education -- the one course students are almost guaranteed to use for the rest of their lives -- may not be available in the Nazareth Area School District much longer.

Nazareth Superintendent Victor Lesky proposed $1.8 million in budget cuts Monday night that include eliminating eight jobs -- seven of them teacher positions -- and eliminating the driver's ed program.

Brittany Zebro, a 2003 alumnus of , was dismayed to hear about the potential program loss.

“I learned everything in driver’s ed," she said. "[I learned] how to change a tire, how to check my oil; I went on the highway for the first time in that class.”

If the budget cuts are approved, which could be as soon as Monday, the elimination of the program would save the district $175,000.  That amount currently funds not only two jobs, but one of two vehicles -- the other vehicle is provided by AAA Northampton County -- and the cost of upkeep and insurance on the vehicles.

Driver's ed teachers Randy Hall and Jarrett Hoff may soon be out of a job.

“It’s a shame that a program that can benefit the community has to be cut, but I understand that it comes down to numbers," Hall said.

Hall explained that in addition to teaching students, he and Hoff meet with parents twice a semester to go over the program and to give them tips on how to teach their children good driving habits.

“I love teaching,” he said. “It’s so rewarding to teach my students something that they’re going to apply right away, something that is going to stay with them the rest of their life.”

The course lasts an entire semester and meets every other day, according to Hall. It provides extensive education as well as six hours of real driving experience. The fee through the school is $40 per student, and both teachers are certified through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to give the PA Driver’s Road Test, which is given during a student’s last lesson.

Students who receive their licenses from the course also qualify for a 10 percent insurance reduction until the age of 21 through most agencies -- savings that could add up to thousands.

In 2011, nearly 80 percent of students 16 years of age or older take the course at the high school, making it one of the most popular that Nazareth offers. Hall estimates over 350 students are taking the course this school year.

Luckily for Nazareth students, Pennsylvania is not a state in which teens are required to learn from a certified instructor. Parents or older relatives can step into the passenger’s seat when it comes to teaching.

However, Larry Laudenbach of Good News Driving School in Bath believes that personality and emotions can get in the way when parents try to teach their children how to drive.

“It’s harder for a student to learn from their parents. A lot of parents don’t have the patience. Some say it leads to arguments and scolding, which causes the kids to get more nervous than they would with an instructor,” said Laudenbach.

Good News Driving School charges $52 an hour, and Laudenbach feels confident that his private driving school, the closest to the district, could handle an influx of students should Nazareth no longer provide driver's ed.

Yet the fact remains that roughly 60 percent of teens who get their driver's license at the age of 16 do so through public schools.

Many school districts around the country are facing budget crises, and driver's ed seems to be coming up strong on the short list of programs to cut. This leads to fear from parents over the cost of private lessons, as well as concern from the public regarding a possible increase in collisions and loss of life.

The School Board may act on the budget cuts as soon as Monday's meeting.

Superintendent Victor Lesky was unavailable for comment as of press time, but was almost unwilling to announce the possibility of cutting the program at the last school board meeting.

“With reluctance, as far as a personal preference of mine, I do believe [the driver's education program] is one of the more practical courses we provide our students,” Lesky told board members.  “Unfortunately, there are things like this that need to be cut in order to reach our funding goal.”

Hall believes driver's ed programs help teach responsibility and safe driving habits.

“I think we do a good job of reducing the risks students are going to take, and the chance that something’s going to happen," he said.  "I think we do a great job.”