SEQUIM — Higher fees caused by reduced state funding and competition from a private school have caused a sharp decline in the number of students taking driver’s education this year at Sequim High School.
Mark Willis, assistant high school principal, said 97 students have enrolled in driver’s education during the 2001-02 school year, down from 224 the previous school term and 236 in 1999-2000.
School directors more than doubled the tuition for driver’s education after the state Legislature voted to cut funding last year.
The new tuition is $300 per student compared to $125 before the decline in funding. Students on the free and reduced lunch program pay $125 tuition.
Driver education is required for youngsters wishing to obtain a driver’s license before they are 18 years old.
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The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News Clallam County edition. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.
