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LANSING—Outgoing Attorney General Frank Kelley says it is not a violation of Michigan's constitution for state money to be used to train students in private driving schools. Kelley's recent opinion was in response to a question raised by state Senator Jim Berryman, who suggested that the constitution's ban on direct aid to private schools might prevent school districts from contracting with private providers of driver's training instruction.
The attorney general's opinion is timely, given that many Michigan school districts are now exploring new options for driver training as a result of a 1996 act passed by the Legislature. That act stipulated that after April 1, 1998, districts would no longer be mandated by the state to offer driver's training to students. Many districts are opting to contract with private firms to do the job. As documented in the summer 1998 Michigan Privatization Report, local entrepreneurs, including public school teachers, are starting up new driver training companies. The state's largest such firm, Sears Authorized Driving School, Inc., already operates in at least 18 locations throughout Michigan.
