ATASCADERO SCHOOLS VERY CLOSE TO DROPPING DARE

The popular Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, better known as DARE,
will likely be scrapped from the school districts curriculum next year.

Thats because district officials say the money used for the program should
be spent on teachers.

Atascadero DARE officer Brian Dana, who will return to patrol if the program
is abolished, said he thinks the program is a vital and proactive way to
combat drug abuse.

"We waste so much money reacting after things happen," Dana said. "This is a
way to act before theres a problem. We do so much for the kids and now the
district wants to take this away from us."

Superintendent Dan Dodds said the final decision to drop the program is up
to the Board of Trustees, who are scheduled to adopt the budget June 22.
However, its unlikely the trustees will go against the recommendations of
district officials and the budget board, who proposed dropping DARE, he said.

If the program is not continued, Atascadero will be the only district in the
county without the anti-drug program.

"We have a number of prevention programs in place," Dodd said. "It was very
hard for us to employ a police officer over a teacher."

Even without the program, Dodds said students at San Benito, San Gabriel,
Monterey Road elementary schools and the Santa Rosa Academic Academy still
will be taught an anti-drug curriculum.

The Sheriffs Department will continue implementing the DARE program at
Creston, Carrisa Plains and Santa Margarita elementary schools free of
charge to the district.

In September 1989, the Atascadero Unified School District began implementing
the DARE curriculum at its elementary schools with the help of the local
police department. The district and the city have since agreed to split the
cost of paying a police officer to teach the 17-week course.

But the district did not budget the $25,000 to cover its share of the
officers salary for the coming school year, Dodds said.

In turn, the city did not set aside matching funds for the program in its
budget, said City Manager Wade McKinney.

The cost of implementing the program in Atascadero is $62,935 a year the
same as the salary for a full-time police officer. Although McKinney said
the City Council considers DARE to be a beneficial program, its unlikely it
will pick up the tab.

"Im a supporter of DARE," McKinney said. "But I dont want to second guess
the districts decision (not to continue the program). Sometimes you have to
make tough choices on worthwhile programs."

The DARE curriculums emphasis is on preventing substance abuse by teaching
elementary school students about the perils of drugs, Dana said. All the
police departments in San Luis Obispo County have partnerships with their
respective school districts. The program also is in place at schools around
the nation and in 44 countries around the world, according to a DARE press
release.

Dana said he's heard talk about the district discontinuing the DARE
curriculum but has not officially been told that the program has been axed.

"Im not very happy about what Im hearing," said Dana, who was instrumental
in bringing a Blackhawk helicopter to San Gabriel Elementary School for an
anti-drug rally last week. "DARE is a great way to show the kids that we are
here to help them."

This school year, Dana taught the DARE class to more than 100 sixth-graders
at the districts elementary schools. He also coordinated graduations for
them last week, which included an appearance by Police Chief Dennis Hegwood.