Milwaukee Public School District To Expand Free Driver’s Education Program

The Milwaukee Public School District is expanding its free driver’s education program to 1,400 students this upcoming school year. All students age 15 ½ to 17 ½ are eligible to participate in the program.

Annie Kubes, coordinator of citywide programs with the district, said today’s students need a valid driver’s license in order to find jobs.

“Seventy-five percent of the job openings in Milwaukee County in 2012 were in the suburbs,” she said. “Most were beyond the bus line so they weren’t necessarily accessible so having a driver’s license is really key in terms of accessing employment.”

Kubes said the program will also give students who have lost their driver’s license privileges due to juvenile offenses a chance to restore them.

She said it is the first of its kind in the state to offer this option and the largest to offer free driver’s education. She said private driver’s education sometimes costs upwards of $300.

“Milwaukee Public Schools provided some funds to subsidize a driver’s education program,” she said. “We still offer that fee based program which costs $150 per student and that’s still not accessible for all of our students and families.”

Data from the school district showed only 14 percent of 18 year olds in Milwaukee’s most impoverished zip codes had their driver’s license.

She said the goal is to train 6,000 a year by 2020. It will cost the district about $2.3 million a year while operating at capacity.