DeWine Visits Zanesville to Discuss New Executive Budget

ZANESVILLE, OH –Ohio Governor Mike DeWine made a stop by Zanesville High School on Tuesday.

Governor DeWine is on his two-day budget tour that he has introduced his executive budget for the fiscal years 2026-2027. The budget will provide funding for schools to partner with independent driver training academies or start their own driver training programs to make the often-unaffordable driver’s education more available to families.

“You know, it’s really time to put driver’s ed back in our high schools. What we have today is simply not working,” Governor DeWine said. “Many young people have never received training. They waited until they’re 18, and at 18, they do not have any driver’s education, then they start driving. There’s a reason the fatality rate among 18- and 19-year-olds is the highest that we have.”

One major focus is on the safety of students due to the fatality rate of young drivers from the lack of driver’s education. The school will allocate the budget to both in-person classes and online classes.

“There will be a combination of online and in person, but the driving, of course, you can’t take online. You have to be in that car, and that one-on-one relationship is probably the most important part of driver’s training. It still will be required in Ohio to have a large number of hours behind the wheel, and usually, that’s the parents who are there. I would just say, make sure that student, your son, your daughter actually does the driving and does those real hours. I think it’s very important because practice is the key to safety in regard to driving,” Governor DeWine said.

While the legislature still has to pass the program, once it passes, schools will start receiving the money.