Committee supports second-year MoDOT driver education grant for St. Louis City

The Public Infrastructure and Utilities Committee on Wednesday recommended a do-pass vote on Board Bill 144 to authorize the director of the Department of Public Safety to accept and appropriate a Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) highway safety grant to fund driver education for K–12 students in the city.

Casey Milberg, policy director in the mayor’s office, told the committee this is the second year the city received the MoDOT grant and that MoDOT has given additional funds this year to expand the program; the extra funding allows more students to receive classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, the presenters said.

Lakisha Robinson, senior advisor for youth and families in the mayor’s office, described last year’s outcomes: more than 200 students RSVP’d for the program; about 150 were eligible city residents; roughly 130 enrolled and 99 completed the course. Robinson said the grant provides vehicles for road instruction, in-class materials, and assistance to students who need help with the licensing process at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Milberg explained the funding source: a portion of federal highway safety-related funds are routed through the state for targeted road-safety grants; the state program distributes most funds to law enforcement, while this grant is a novel use funding driver-education programming for youth. Committee members praised the program’s outcomes and encouraged continued expansion.

A motion to give Board Bill 144 a do-pass recommendation was moved and seconded and carried without recorded objection in committee; the bill will move to the full Board of Aldermen for final action.