Drivers education has been offered free of charge to Rowan County teens for a long time, but that could change in the next school year due to cuts in the state budget.

Last year, 1,631 public-, private- and home-schooled students took drivers education through the Rowan-Salisbury School System. The program is run completely in-house and includes 26 employees and a 21-car fleet with two spares.

“Each and every year, the state funds us enough to successfully run our program,” Director of Transportation Tim Beck said.

In the past, the district has received funding from the state based on the previous year’s participation. But last year the Legislature cut $21,000 from the Rowan program’s $340,000 budget. Next year, drivers ed funding will be completely eliminated from the state budget.

Beck said it would cost at least $300 per student to continue running the program the way it’s been run over the past two years, including classroom materials, instructor pay, fuel, oil changes and other car maintenance. That figure doesn’t include the cost of replacing the vehicles as they wear out.

Beck estimated that would add an additional $50 to $75 to each student’s cost.

Currently, school districts are allowed to charge up to $65 per student for drivers education. Rowan-Salisbury is one of 45 districts that charges nothing at all. The Kannapolis school system charges $45.

As of right now, Beck said the Rowan-Salisbury School System hasn’t decided if it will start charging, do away with the program or ask the county to take over the expenses.

Beck said drivers education funding is on the docket for the General Assembly’s January term.

It’s important that parents contact representatives, senators, the Department of Public Instruction and transportation services about the cuts, Beck said. “If they cut this program and no one makes a big deal about it, they’ll leave it cut.”

Beck said one of the biggest frustrations about the budget cuts is that they went to fully funding the program to completely cutting funding over a span of two years, without providing a clear transition plan for districts to follow, or leaving enough time for them to develop their own.

“Parents just don’t know that this is potentially happening,” he said, adding that current middle and elementary school students will be hardest hit by the cuts.

Before teenagers can get drivers licenses in North Carolina, they must complete a 30-hour class and six hours of behind-the-wheel training with a qualified instructor. They are eligible for the class when they turn 14 and a half.

Once students turn 15, they can go to the Department of Motor Vehicles, take a test and receive their learner’s permit. After a year of supervised driving, they can then take a driving test and get their license at the age of 16.

If teens forgo the class, they can go straight to the DMV at the age of 18, take the driving test and get their license.

Beck said the advantages of taking the drivers education class are “very clear.”

Students who complete the classroom and driving portion of drivers education receive valuable coaching, followed by a full year of riding with a more experienced driver.

Teens who wait to get their license until they’re 18 are “being turned loose out on the open road,” Beck said.