Mansfield ISD Driver's Ed in Jeopardy
A driver's education program in Mansfield may be another victim of the slowing economy.
A local car dealership loans vehicles to the Mansfield Independent School District free of charge thanks to a grant from General Motors Corp. The dealership pays for part of the value of each vehicle on loan for the program, but that's money some may not be able to afford in these economic times.
Terry Morawski, a Mansfield ISD spokesperson, said the district may not be able to get vehicles because of grants and "a situation related to that."
Students such as Mike Pipin, who is five sessions shy of finishing the course, said it would be a shame for his fellow students who haven't taken the course to miss out.
"I mean I got to go through it," he said. "They should get to go through it too."
His instructor, Melvin Cooper, said he has his own reasons for not wanting see the program disappear.
"You work them through the various stages, and then you see them take the test and be successful," he said. "You know, that's kind of a good thing for a teacher."
General Motors, the local dealership that provides the vehicles to MISD, and the district are working to find a solution to keep the driver's education course up and running.
"We understand right now these are tough economic times for everyone," Morawski said. "The district is dealing with that as well, but again, we want to see the program survive and thrive, so we're going to work with them to try to find a solution."
Posted Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 - 2:28 PM CST
