Driver's ed becomes an unfunded mandate

Published December 21, 2014

Editorial by News and Observer, December 19, 2014.

That’s local-government ease for those times when the state of North Carolina tells a county or municipal government that they must do something, but the state will not provide the money to accomplish the task.

Local governments are forced to rearrange their spending plans or increase taxes to generate new money to meet the obligations the state sets out for them.

Another unfunded mandate is on the horizon. The state has ordered local school systems to continue to provide driver’s education, but the state is no longer going to provide millions in funding that it has in the past.

So who’s going to bear the brunt of that loss? Two groups: The local school board and the parents of children who want to take the class and earn their own driver’s license.

Here’s another group that’s likely to pay a price: the driving public.

As the cost for driver’s ed continues to escalate (Wake County plans to charge $65 for the class next year) more young drivers will opt to wait until they turn 18 when they can get their license without the burden of taking an expensive class.

When that happens, we will have more unskilled, uneducated drivers on the road.

That’s not good for anyone.

http://www.easternwakenews.com/2014/12/19/4416756_editorial-teaching-a-life-saving.html?rh=1