Prior to the 2012-13 school year, Pattonville had offered Driver’s Ed to 24 students of at least 15 years of age. However, with the recent budget cuts occurring, the district has decided to chop the number of Driver’s Ed students in half.
Originally, there were three teachers in Driver’s Ed, and while one taught the class, the other two would take certain students out to drive. That has changed this year, as former Driver’s Ed teacher Tom Iffrig has been switched to PE and Health; this is familiar territory for Iffrig, who coaches girls’ soccer. Yet despite doing something he enjoys, Iffrig wishes the school would have refrained from cutting Driver’s Ed.
“It was a class that saved lives,” Iffrig said.
Unless the Pattonville School District decides to restore the original number of students to Driver’s Ed, a mere 12 students will be enrolled into the semester long class.