Increased costs are turning a green light to red as Denton school district officials consider dropping driver’s education.

Denton school board members tonight will consider discontinuing the driver’s education course the district offers to high school students.

If approved, the driver’s education class now offered at Denton, Guyer and Ryan high schools will stop by the end of the school year in May.

Higher costs associated with the program, including vehicle maintenance, is what prompted officials to take a closer look, said district spokeswoman Sharon Cox.

Changes in state law now require driver’s education students to complete 20 additional hours of behind-the-wheel instruction — 10 hours of which must be done at night — with a licensed driver 21 or older with at least one year of driving experience.

If the district’s course offered the additional driving hours, tuition might need to increase by $410 to break even on expenses, said Larry Shaw, director of student support services.

The district currently offers driver’s education to students before school at a cost of $300, he said.

Shaw said he spoke with local independent driving schools that have opted to certify the 20 additional driving hours through a student’s parent.

The school district has considered that option as well, Shaw said. However, the district, which is responsible for certifying hours, might not fully be able to verify those hours because district staff did not observe them, he said.

If the district continues the program, it also could result in a drop in course enrollment, Shaw said.

“We felt that if parents were required to do the 20 hours, they would probably opt to do the program themselves,” he said.

Costs for the driver’s education program increased from $255 to $300 two years ago after a survey showed the district was losing money and charging much less than other school districts. Since the tuition increase, student enrollment for the program dropped from 78 students to 59.

Shaw brought the issues of enrollment factors, costs and changes in state law before the school board during its January meeting.

In the January meeting, board members Jeanetta Smith and Mia Price said there were too many negatives for the district to continue offering driver’s education.

“I’m just thinking we don’t need to do this anymore,” Price said. “I say scrap it.”

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com .