By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
NEWPORT — A Driver’s Education program will be returning to Newport after a prolonged absence.
Christine Day, a Newport resident, is looking to have the program in place for the start of the new school year. That would be welcome news for young Newport students who have been forced to wait up to 18 months for openings in other programs in the Newport area.
Day’s Driver’s Ed program will be independent and will not be directly associated with the Newport School District.
Day has a diverse work history in the educational system and the legal field. She is also the current President of the Newport Lions Club.
The potential return of the Driver’s Ed program in Newport was announced by Newport School District Finance Director George Caccavaro at a recent meeting of the Newport School Board. At that meeting, Caccavaro told the board there were some details that remained to be worked out.
According to Day, the fee to take the course for the general public will be $650 plus a $50 non-refundable deposit. A Newport High School student will receive a $100 discount lowering that fee to $550 plus the $50 non-refundable deposit.
At a school board meeting, Newport High School Principal Shannon Martin said she had fielded several calls in the past from parents with concerns about the waiting period for available openings to occur in other Driver Education programs.
Day said she is still putting details in place with a goal to have the program up and running by the time students return to school.
“The program will start small,” she said. If Newport students don’t fill it up, any available seats will be open for students from other schools, she added. “There will always be a couple of slots open to outsiders,” she said.
She said every student has to be 16 years of age before the class is finished.
Day said she approached Caccavaro two months ago during an open house and was asked to put her ideas in writing for discussion purposes.
At the school board meeting, Caccavaro said Day offered to furnish the Driver’s Ed car herself. School Board vice chairman Virginia Irwin suggested an automobile dealer be approached to see if it might be willing to provide a car.
According to Day, the Driver’s Ed course consists of 30 classroom hours, 10 hours of behind the wheel instruction, six hours of observation and a final exam test score of 75 or higher.
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