The state of Maryland requires the completion of a driver’s education course to be able to obtain a driver’s license. Though this is a requirement, this task is not easy for all families.  For lower-income families, paying for driver’s education courses can be rather burdensome, which is why Watkins Mill needs to add a driver’s education course option to its curriculum.

A popular driving school near Watkins Mill, Greg’s Driving School, has a drivers education program that costs $400 and is two weeks long. For some, they do not have the time to give, or the money to spare on driving school. Some families don’t have that option, as some spending $400 would be leaving them to struggle to afford basic things such as food, shelter, and even bills. 

The average income for an individual in Montgomery village is $36,056 yearly or around $693 dollars per week. The average rent in Montgomery Village is around $1,580 a month, $18,960 a year, over half of the average resident’s income is going to housing alone, to also take into account other expenses like food, water, clothing, and health care would leave a person with little leftover to use. 

If Montgomery County Public Schools implemented a driver’s education program at Watkins Mill, it would be just another class on one’s schedule, taking away time as a factor. Watkins Mill as a whole has no program in place, so it would allow students to have a free or low-cost drivers education program during school.

For some classes, 0.5 credits is the minimum required to graduate, so allowing students to have another optional class for one semester wouldn’t get in their way. A possible implementation for driver’s education would be to offer the class for one semester instead of a full year. So students can have the option of taking the driver’s education course.