MILWAUKEE — New driver education grants are now available to low-income high school students who struggle to afford driver education courses in Wisconsin.
Common Ground of Southeastern Wisconsin spearheaded the effort to secure $6 million in funding for the courses because the $400 to $650 price tag associated with courses is often too expensive for teens.
Students, leaders, and community members gathered at an auto shop at Pulaski High School on Thursday to celebrate the rollout of the grants.
TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins spoke with Jahmorris Torres-Currin, who said that before these grants became available, the cost of driver's education was a barrier.
"It also put a stress on my family because nobody really has the money to afford that," said Torres-Currin.
He and another student, Kahlil Stewart, helped advocate for affordable driver education opportunities.
"I know that this is not just an opportunity for me; it's an opportunity for everybody," said Stewart.
Stewart and Torres-Currin collaborated with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) and Common Ground to secure the funding. Now, students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at school in Wisconsin can apply to have the cost of any qualified driver's ed course covered.
Watch: Students share how a new program makes Driver Education more accessible
The grants help connect teens like Torres-Currin to opportunities.
"You have now transportation in order to get to work, get to doctor appointments, get to school," he said.
They also help teens give back to their families. Stewart is hoping to help his great-aunt, who helps raise him and his siblings.
"Now she can get rest from working all the jobs that she works. Now all she got to do is call me and say go grab them, or get me something from the store, and I can do it," said Stewart.
Leaders say the program will also help reduce racial and economic disparities.
According to a 2016 study by the UWM Employment and Training Institute, only 30% of African American and Hispanic 18-year-olds have a driver's license, compared to roughly 75% of white 18-year-olds in Wisconsin.
Some also say the program could help combat reckless driving.
"I think the more that we start changing the narrative and getting the driver education and the licensed drivers out there, the better it's going to be," said Jodie Donabar with MKE REC and MPS Drive.
The new Driver Education Grant Program was made possible through bipartisan legislation signed into law in December 2023. Grants are available to qualified students in public, charter, and choice schools, as well as home-schooled students. Tuition is paid directly to the driving school of the student's choice.
Common Ground worked with the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance to secure $6 million and have the money allocated in the state budget.
State-funded driver's education ended in Wisconsin due to budget cuts in 2004, but the state still requires people under the age of 18 to enroll in a school or commercial program as a condition of obtaining a learner's permit and probationary driver's license.
You can learn more about the driver education grants on the DOT's website.
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