New Program Will Fund Driver’s Ed For Students in Low-Income Students

Kristina Boardman. Photo taken Sep. 5, 2024 by Jeramey Jannene.

A new Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) program will pay to send approximately 11,500 low-income high school students per year to driver’s education classes.

The program, designed to tackle reckless driving and equity issues across the state, comes as a result of a two-year campaign by Common Ground Southeastern Wisconsin, support from the insurance industry and bipartisan backing in the Wisconsin State Legislature.

“This will have a positive impact on reducing reckless driving and improving safety on Wisconsin’s roads,” said Department of Motor Vehicles administrator Tommy Winkler.

“It won’t completely solve the problem of reckless driving, but we think it’s part of the solution,” said Common Ground strategy team member and a former Pathways High School administrator Franz Meyer. “It’s been 20 years since the state funded driver’s education, and the number of people that have taken driver’s education has been going down, and the number of people driving recklessly has been going up.”

The former school administrator said he routinely encountered students at Pathways that wanted to get a license. “It’s not that they couldn’t Google a driving school, it’s that it was too expensive. Many of the families just don’t have the money to spend on driver’s ed,” said Meyer. A state report says drivers’ education programs typically cost between $450 to $600 per student.

Backed with $6 million in funding, WisDOT will now make full tuition payments to driver education programs across the state to offset the cost of serving students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Funding is available for teenagers on a first-come, first-served basis and transmitted directly to the school. The funding covers 30 hours of classroom time, six hours of observation time and six hours of driving.

“We are so excited to officially announce what we hope could be a life-changing opportunity for teenagers who want to learn to drive,” said WisDOT Secretary-designee Kristina Boardman. “Students who receive the grants can enroll in any driver education program offered by an authorized provider.”

Republican Representative Robert Donovan and Senator Dan Knodl were credited with advancing the proposal through the Wisconsin State Legislature. The program is being funded with excess insurance fees paid to the state. According to a state report, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance routinely returns $26 million to $27 million annually to the state’s general fund. Governor Tony Evers signed the proposal into law in December 2023.

A wide array of Common Ground members and public officials stood behind the speakers, including Donovan, Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, Common Council President José G. Pérez and members Sharlen P. Moore, Scott Spiker, Peter Burgelis and DiAndre Jackson, Senator-elect Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee) and Common Ground director Jennifer O’Hear.

“By making driver education accessible to all, we are not just teaching our teens to drive, we are fostering a sense of independence, responsibility and safety,” said Paul Manriquez, Assistant State Superintendent of Public Instruction of the Division for Learning Support.

Meyer said it would not only allow students to drive, but help them get and maintain jobs and vote.

The press conference was held in the automobile repair training lab at Milwaukee Public Schools‘ Pulaski High School, 2500 W. Oklahoma Ave.

MPS, through Milwaukee Recreation, offers a driver’s education program for only $35. The fee offsets the state’s cost of a permit. But the program is capped by funding constraints at 2,000 students. In 2022, Milwaukee Recreation direction Lynn Greb said she believed there was demand for up to 5,000 students per year. On Thursday, a Milwaukee Recreation representative said the program has led to more than 8,000 students earned their learner’s permit from the state.

The new WisDOT program is available to any student across the state, regardless of school. The only requirement is to be eligible for free or reduced lunch. The state requires individuals under the age of 18 to complete a driver’s education program in order to receive their license. A fiscal estimate tied to the legislation said there are approximately 128,000 eligible high school students.

High school seniors Kahlil Steward and Jamorris Torres-Currin, who were involved in advocating for the program, said it would relieve stress on their families and support their independence. Steward said his involvement, which included meeting the governor, also showed him how to make change.

In interviews and speeches, multiple people said Common Ground, a broad-based nonprofit coalition, received a major boost from Mayor Cavalier Johnson in securing the program. The two have been at odds recently over Common Ground’s push to improve conditions at the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, but Johnson was said to be a a key force in getting the insurance companies to support the program.

Wisconsin Insurance Alliance President Andrew Franken also drew praise for identifying a sustainable funding source and supporting the bill.

Applications are being accepted on the WisDOT website.