The road to opportunity: Former Racine Unified driver's education instructors open their own driving school business

By Brent Killackey

Thursday, October 6, 2005 2:05 AM CDT

RACINE - Earlier this year, driver's education teachers Jerilyn Bradley and Richard Jackowski lobbied Racine Unified administrators and School Board members to take driver's education off the list of budget cuts for 2005-06.

They didn't achieve that goal.

But they've turned the district's elimination of driver's education into a business opportunity.

They figured with the 1,100 students who annually took Unified's driver's education classes and the 750 who annually took the district's behind-the-wheel training looking for private driving instruction, there was room for another driver's education school in Racine.

This past month, Bradley and Jackowski opened American Professional Driving School at 1967 Taylor Ave., the space formerly occupied by Gary's Music World.

"Everyone still thinks this is Gary's," Jackowski said. "One guy came to return his trumpet."

But there are no more musical instruments in the building and the rooms for music lessons have either been converted into offices or torn down in anticipation of a planned computer space for administering driving tests.

Posters highlighting the dangers of drunken driving or the meaning of road signs hang from the walls. Tables and chairs fill two classrooms spaces that are partitioned with black

curtains.

Fifteen students signed up for the school's first round of classes; they figure the numbers will grow as people become aware of the school's existence, according to Bradley.

Students attend either 4-6 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. weekdays for three weeks. Saturday hours are available as needed, Bradley said.

The 30 hours of classroom instruction satisfied driver's education requirements under state law.

Students then sign up for the behind-the-wheel experience. State requirements for behind-the-wheel training vary - depending on how many hours the students spend behind the wheel and how many they spend in the car observing - but most students do six hours of driving and six hours of observing.

The school currently charges $100 for the driver's education class and $225 for behind-the-wheel training.

Bradley said they were giving students a $20 gas card if they completed both parts of the driving instruction.

The next rounds of classes begin in November.

Like all driver's education businesses, American Professional Driving School is state licensed.

Because they have previously taught driver's education in Unified, Bradley and Jackowski are also DPI certified to teach driver's education.

Both also still teach in Racine Unified, although no longer in the driver's education area. Bradley teaches physical education at West Ridge Elementary School and Jackowski teaches a special education class at Horlick High School.

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