Published: November 14, 2008 11:28 am         

Westview puts the brakes to driver’s ed

Private school may offer classes at school

EMMA, Ind. — Westview driving students are taking a detour on the road to learning.

The driving program was discontinued by Westview school board members Thursday night. However, school board members have agreed to offer their facilities to a private driving institution.

Last month, the board discussed the possibility of cutting the program due to rising costs and the school’s difficulty obtaining cars. Additionally, the school has been losing money by funding the program. Last year, the school charged each student $280. For the school to break even, each student would have had to pay $318. This year, the school’s break even amount would be approximately $327 per student.

According to school officials, one advantage to the school using a private program, a program that is not contracted, but uses the school’s classrooms, is that the classes can be offered many times throughout the school year, providing ample opportunity for students to take it.

Typically, driving classes are offered only twice per year, and students involved in sports and other extracurricular activities have trouble following it, school officials said. A private program will also save the school both time and money and decrease the school’s liability.

One private institution that the school is currently considering will offer the program four or five times per year. The cost will be $325 per student, if the school corporation provides a location, which they have agreed to do.

Top student changes

The board also addressed a policy change concerning the valedictorian and the salutatorian.

At many schools in the area, there is more than one of each, based on achieving a certain grade-point average. Currently at Westview, the two top GPAs receive the positions of valedictorian and salutatorian. However, the board is discussing changing that.

Becoming a valedictorian or a salutatorian typically leads to scholarship opportunities, making them highly valued positions. Board members are not sure how changing the policy will affect that. However, they do expect it to lower the competition.

Principal Rich Cory explained, “When it comes to getting that top GPA, and getting to that top spot or those top few spots, they work very hard to get to that point.”

Other schools have eliminated the positions altogether, deeming the competition unhealthy, almost “cutthroat.” If the policy were to be changed today, approximately eight Westview seniors, or about 10 percent of the class, would be named valedictorian.

Pepsi contract

The school board also moved to complete another five-year contract with Pepsi. Though the cost between the Pepsi and Coke products was close, Pepsi was a little bit less expensive and offers Mountain Dew, which school officials said is the preferred drink of many high school athletes.

The board agreed to change health savings accounts. Staff members currently have the opportunity to use VEBA, paying for ING, which lets those who use it pay for health-related conditions. If members leave, it’s portable and accompanies them.

However, the board decided to change accounts and go with Schwab, and pay through Optum, because each time the corporation put money into ING, they locked into a new contract with Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association.

The board will not have a contract with Schwab, and health-related problems will be paid for with the VEBA accounts, first. Furthermore, Schwab is less expensive and the quality is just as good or better, school officials said.

Next month’s Westview school board will take place Dec. 9 instead of Dec. 11.