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April 8, 2009 • Vol. XXXII • No. 32
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School Choice Program Up for Reauthorization |
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The State Board of Education is preparing to discuss the reauthorization of the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program regulations at its April 15 meeting. The board is proposing to readopt the rules for the school choice program with amendments. The school choice program currently allows one district in each county to be designated to participate in the program. Those schools can accept students from other districts at no cost to the students. State aid for the student flows to the school chosen. The program is seen as enabling students more options on where they can attend school, while providing schools which have the extra capacity to take out-of-district students as a way to increase enrollment revenues. This program was originally established as a five-year pilot in October 1999, and has been amended since then. The school choice legislation is scheduled to expire in September. In the pilot program’s first year, 2000-2001, only 96 students enrolled in 10 choice districts. For the 2008-2009 school year, 872 students are enrolled in 16 districts. Fifteen choice districts are currently accepting applications from students for 2009-2010. For a list of the approved choice districts, select “Approved Choice Districts” link from the state's school choice Web section. Amendments Proposed The State Board is currently proposing several changes to the school choice code, including an amendment that will allow any interested New Jersey school district to become a choice district even if another district within the same county has been so designated. The changes would also allow kindergarten and eleventh and twelfth grade students to start the program; they are now prohibited from beginning the program in those years. It also does away with the requirement that a student attend school in his or her own home district for at least a year if the child is applying for kindergarten admission. If the choice district requires its resident students to have attended a pre-school program before kindergarten, the same requirement must be imposed on potential choice program students. Under the proposed amendments, a choice district would be permitted to reject a student with a serious disciplinary record. Rejected students must be provided with the reason for their rejection and are permitted to appeal their rejection to the commissioner of education. Transportation would be the responsibility of the student’s home district under the amendments; the cost for a choice student placed in an out-of-district special school is paid for by the student’s home district. NJSBA Supports Voluntary Choice The New Jersey School Boards Association believes in local determination of school choice within the public schools. Options could include choice among schools within the district (intradistrict choice) including charter or magnet schools, or could extend to schools in other districts (interdistrict choice) when the school board has established a mutually agreed-upon contract with other districts. NJSBA also believes that state oversight of school choice should be limited to ensuring compliance with state law in such matters as racial balance. School districts that elect to offer intradistrict or interdistrict school choice programs should suffer no loss in money in the rate and method of calculation in governmental educational aid, as a result of their decision to offer choice programs. |
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Copyright © 2009 New Jersey School Boards Association. All rights reserved. |
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