.png)
Pend Oreille driver’s ed goes private
NEWPORT — Clover Tannehill wants to get a job soon.
To do that, she is learning how to drive. But Tannehill — a sophomore at Newport High School — did not take driver’s education at NHS, but at Number 1 Driving, a private driving school at 320 S. Washington Ave. in Newport.
“It’s just way better to have your license early and be able to get around,” said Tannehill, 16.
She is not the only NHS student to take driver’s education at a private driving school. Since NHS stopped offering a driver’s education course at least 20 years ago, Tannehill and other students in the Newport School District have had to do just that.
Number 1 Driving School is the only private driving school in Pend Oreille County. For alternatives, students must enroll in ones as far as Deer Park or Spokane.
“My friends were also joining [Number 1 Driving], so I thought I might as well,” Tannehill said.
Selkirk High School also stopped offering a driver’s education course years ago. The only high school in the county that still does is Cusick High School, but even CHS may stop after this year.
“They’re figuring out what they can do to still provide that service up there,” said David Sears, Number 1 Driving owner and instructor. He is working with CHS on an alternative to their driver’s education course.
High schools stopped offering driver’s education after 2000, when the state Legislature redirected most of the funding for driver’s education to the general fund. The rest of the funding lapsed in 2002.
Before then, almost every public school district in the state offered it. Now, only 20 high schools do, according to the state Department of Licensing. Yet the state has 248 private driving schools.
“We’re not funded for [driver’s education],” said David Smith, Newport School District superintendent. He also referenced complications with staffing and curriculum requirements.
Smith took driver’s education not at a private driving school, but at NHS in 1987 while he was a sophomore there.
NHS’s driver’s education course gave students credit, Smith said, and they learned how to drive from teachers they knew alongside their friends and classmates. And it was during the school day, avoiding conflict with extra- curriculars like Smith’s sports practices.
“It just made it a much more enjoyable experience for me,” Smith said. “And, I felt it prepared me very well for driving.”
At NHS, driver’s education was one semester long. Smith and his classmates used a textbook and received both classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, with more drive time before school and after extra-curriculars.
He remembers his class being “completely full.” Almost every student he knew took driver’s education there. Smith, who was 16, wanted the freedom that comes with a driver’s license.
“I didn’t want my parents driving me around anymore,” Smith said with a laugh.
Before Sears opened Number 1 Driving, the Newport School District allowed him to use a classroom for driver’s education courses in the summer.
“With Mr. Sears doing it here in Newport, it’s really helping our kids,” Smith said, adding that Sears works with students and their schedules.
Number 1 Driving offers four driver’s education courses per year, with one per quarter. Each course is about three months long, with 30 hours of classroom instruction, four hours of simulation, five hours of driving lessons and one hour of observation.
Tannehill describes the instruction at Number 1 Driving as “quite nice” and not as aggressive as a high school class.
“More calmer, social class with lesson structures,” Tannehill said.
Her driver’s education course was informative, preparing Tannehill and her course mates for how dangerous driving can be with videos, interactive activities and lectures. Driving with Sears also gave Tannehill confidence and “much better” awareness on the road, she said.
Tannehill plans to take the knowledge exam for her driver’s license soon, followed by the skills exam.
“I’m going to be studying the book that was introduced to us in the driving school,” Tannehill said. “Plus, I feel confident for my drive test after going through them over and over.”
Before taking the knowledge and drive exams, teenagers under 18 must complete 40 hours of daytime and 10 hours of nighttime driving with someone who has had their driver’s license for at least three years.
Upon passing both exams, they earn intermediate driver’s licenses as part of the state’s graduated licensing system. These have restrictions on passengers, nighttime driving and cell phone use that lift once drivers earn full driver’s licenses.
Soon, even 18-year-olds may not earn full driver’s licenses without taking driver’s education. Introduced this legislative session, House Bill 1878 and Senate Bill 5695 propose requiring it of those under 25 by 2033. The bills are part of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s Target Zero Plan to reach zero deaths and serious injuries on the state’s roads.
Sears himself emphasizes safety and conscientiousness to Number 1 Driving students.
“It’s really just about getting them to make good, safe decisions while driving,” Sears said.
He has raised his family of five in the Newport area since 2004. A couple of years ago, Sears looked for a driver’s education course for his own children, only to realize there were none in Newport.
So, Sears trained to become a driving instructor in Spokane, receiving certifications as a DOL knowledge and skills examiner. He opened Number 1 Driving in 2022.
“I’m the only driver’s education business in Pend Oreille County,” Sears said. “Obviously there’s a need here.”
Sears’ “WA State Driver’s Education Course” for those 15 and older is $550. He also trains adults and seniors with behind-thewheel instruction, $75 for one hour and $200 for three hours.
Number 1 Driving is a DOL-approved testing location; a knowledge exam is $30, and a skills exam is $50.
Besides Newport, Sears has students from Ione, Cusick, Elk, Deer Park and Spokane.
“Back when my kids did it, we had to drive [them] into Spokane a couple times a week,” Smith said. “So, it’s great that our kids at least right now have access to driver’s ed.”
AURELIA JOHNSON, A SOPHOMORE AT NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL, CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE. IF YOU ARE A YOUNG PERSON WITH A STORY IDEA, CONTACT DON GRONNING AT [email protected].
