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Board plans to recruit driver-education instructors after legislature removes school grant funding
Summary
The board discussed a new state requirement that students under 21 receive driver education and the loss of proposed school grant funding; the district will advertise instructor positions and consider a pay-and-commitment model for paid instructors.
Norwalk administrators and board members discussed how the district will meet a new state requirement that anyone under the age of 21 receive driver education, including 20 hours of classroom, 8 hours behind-the-wheel with a licensed instructor and 50 hours of practice driving with an eligible adult. Treasurer Joyce explained that Governor Mike DeWine's proposal had included grant money to help districts pay for school-based driver training, but "the legislature ... took that back out," leaving districts responsible for arranging instruction without the originally proposed state grant. The board approved a driver-education instructor job description (agenda item 6.6) as part of the superintendent's reports; administrators said they will recruit certified instructors for the behind-the-wheel component and consider paying instructors about $15 an hour and requiring a one-year commitment or reimbursement of training costs if the instructor leaves early. Transportation and curriculum staff said the classroom portion can be delivered through existing partners but the behind-the-wheel and recordkeeping requirements create a bottleneck, and the district will need more qualified instructors to meet demand.
