Dayton Public approved a contract with American Driving School for $35,000 over three years. However, the district is working to get teachers from the district, likely pulling from the transportation side. Other steps need to be taken before DPS can officially start teaching students, officials said.
“Rather than partnering with an outside provider, DPS has made the strategic decision to establish our own in-house driving school which will allow us to align instruction with our district’s goals, ensure quality and consistency, and potentially lower long-term costs,” DPS superintendent David Lawrence said. “The process involves securing proper licensure, certified instructors, and state-approved curriculum, which we are actively working toward.”
DPS board President Chrisondra Goodwine, who is also a certified bus driver, advocated for the idea as it would be both cost-effective and get administrators into the classrooms. She said many transportation administrators are already trainers for commercial drivers’ licenses.
“On the transportation side, some of them are already trainers for Class As, motorcycles, Class Bs, so I’m sure they would be able to have the criteria to become driver’s ed instructors,” Goodwine said.
Lawrence said the class will be offered as an elective to high school students.
“It is designed to give students an opportunity to gain life skills while earning elective credit,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence added that offering the course in-house will also make sure the drivers are safe.
“By offering the course in-house we also ensure that we produce safe and courteous drivers into the community,” he said. “Teenage driving is often a topic that senior citizens engage in. We are committed to safe streets for all drivers.”
Lawrence said thanks to secured funding, any cost to students would be fully or partly subsidized for the 2025-2026 school year.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has begun promoting bringing driver’s education back into schools following a Springfield crash in 2023, in which an adult driver without a license crashed into a bus taking kids to school. One 11-year-old kid, Aiden Clark, was killed in the crash.
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