The Bismarck School Board put the brakes on behind-the- wheel driving class after the summer 2006 term.

Driver's education will no longer be offered after this school year, and it will no longer be a requirement.

Assistant Superintendent John Salwei brought the subject to the board Monday at the secondary school principals' request.

"I think it's time to move forward with this," board member Dan Kuntz said. "We've talked about it for a year and a half."

A driver's education class and behind the wheel time are required for teens, 14 or 15 years old, to get a driver's education completion certificate required for the road test for a learner's permit, according to the North Dakota Department of Transportation Web site.

High schools can offer the class, but they can also take the six hours of required behind-the- wheel training from an approved commercial driving school.

In place of the driver's education class, the district will create a career education class.

Ideally, the new class would be beneficial to life after high school. An example could be financial literacy or communication skills for the workplace, Salwei said.

The board also decided Monday to go forward with the planning for phase one on the Richholt addition.

The district administration identified $704,000 in funding previously for a project that is estimated at $750,000, not including fees for the architect.

The architect fees for the project could range from 7 to 12 percent, or another $52,500 to $90,000, Daring Scheer, director of transportation and facilities, said.

The district has a $335,00 grant from the federal Head Start program, it budgeted $300,000 in the district's general fund for 2005-06, and it will have $69,000 from the sale of two buildings on Park Avenue.

The district sold the two buildings, including the current BECEP building there, for a net profit of $350,641, according to a BPS report.

The district is reserving $220,000 of the profits to purchase a site for an elementary school and $61,000 to pay the $81,000 in rent over the next two years. The remainder of the rent will be paid by two special education grants.

The board is looking for about an additional $130,000 to make up the difference from what is available and what might be needed.

"We have to make it clear to the architect, this is the upper level," Kuntz said.

The first phase of the project is for five classrooms, three offices, remodeling and 10 parking spaces.

@$: (Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)