SIMI VALLEY : Schools Reinstate Driver Training

Simi Valley high school students will be able to take driver training for $130, with a discount given to students with good attendance, under a plan approved Tuesday by school officials.

The behind-the-wheel training, which was previously offered to students for free, had been discontinued in the Simi Valley Unified School District because of $21.2 million in state funding cuts for the program.

Officials say that reinstating the class would provide a convenience for students, at a lower price than most private companies demand.

Eligible to take the class at age 15 1/2, students are to pay $130 each plus $20 an hour for additional instruction if they fail the Department of Motor Vehicles test. Students who attend school on a regular basis would be eligible for a 30% discount of the initial cost, to be returned at the end of the spring semester. To qualify for the refund, students can have no more than five absences for any reason, other than school business, and no truancies.