Program allows schools to accept out-of district students
Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf, left, addresses the media during a press conference with Gov. Chris Christie in March.TRENTON — Parents who are unsatisfied with their local school system can enroll their children in one of 56 districts now part of the state’s interdistrict public school choice program, acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf announced today.
The addition of 56 districts nearly quadruples the size of the 10-year-old program, which allows students to attend public schools outside their district of residence at no additional cost. The districts are in 16 counties, including Hunterdon, Morris and Union, although most are in the south of the state.
"Districts are taking steps to make better and more efficient use of their available space," Cerf said. "Choice is good for students because it expands opportunities, and it benefits taxpayers because districts are tapping a new revenue source."
Parents interested in the program must notify their home districts in writing by Monday, April 25, the last day of spring break for many districts. By mid-May, parents must submit applications to choice districts, and by the end of May, districts will accept or reject those applications, based on slots available in each grade.
Declining enrollment and a need to boost revenue led many districts to voluntarily participate in the program, said Frank Belluscio, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Students who enroll in new schools will bring their per-pupil state aid money with them, helping small districts plug budget holes. Up to 10 percent of any district’s students can apply to attend schools in participating districts.
"We knew there would be interest in this program because of enrollment trends," said Belluscio, adding NJSBA is "very supportive of interdistrict choice in the public sector."
One potential flaw in the program relates to busing, Belluscio said. Home districts will be required to pay the cost of transporting students to their new schools up to 20 miles away. For districts lacking transportation programs, this could be a significant expense, he said. Parents interested in sending their children to schools more than 20 miles away would be responsible for transportation.
Nancy Gartenberg, superintendent of the South Hunterdon Regional School District, said the district applied to the program because of its small size, flat enrollment and high per-pupil cost, which is $8,103 more than the state average of $13,686.
"We’re trying to offset our taxpayers’ burden," Gartenberg said. "And our class sizes really can’t be matched by anyone. A.P. classes at our high school have an average of eight to 10 students. Most have upwards of 30."
Stockton Borough School District, another participant, is one of the oldest, smallest districts in the state and also offers intimate class sizes, said Suzanne Ivans, who is both district superintendent and elementary school principal. Serving grades pre-K to 6, the district has 41 students in one school, meaning about five students per grade in dual-grade classes, she said.
Ivans said she hopes this benefit — along with other unique qualities such as the school’s focus on world language, peer tutoring, and etiquette and manners — will attract parents.
"It’s not that our school is better than any other school," Ivans said. "It’s that we’re able to offer a more intimate learning environment than most schools."
Newly Approved Choice Districts
Atlantic County
Estell Manor School District
Hammonton Public Schools
Port Republic School District
Bergen County
Bogota School District
Burlington County
Northern Burlington County Regional School District
Pemberton Township Schools
Camden County
Audubon School District
Bellmawr School District
Berlin Township School District
Laurel Springs School District
Lindenwold Public Schools
Merchantville School District
Mt. Ephraim School District
Runnemede School District
SterLing High School District
Stratford School District
Waterford Township Public Schools
Cape May County
Cape May City
Ocean City High School
Cumberland County
Downe Township
Lawrence Township
Maurice River Township School District
Gloucester County
Gateway Regional High School District
Glassboro Public Schools
Paulsboro High School
Hunterdon County
Alexandria Township Public Schools
Clinton Township School District
Frenchtown Elementary School District
Lambertville Public School District
Lebanon BorougH School District
South Hunterdon Regional High School
Stockton Borough School District
Monmouth County
Deal Elementary School
Marlboro Township Public School District
Morris County
Morris Hills Regional District
Morris School District
Mount Arlington Public School District
Wharton School District
Ocean County
Beach Haven School
Central Regional School District
Eagleswood Township Public School
Long Beach Island Consolidated School District
Ocean Gate School District
Tuckerton Borough School District
Salem County
Oldmans Township School District
Pittsgrove Township School District
Quinton Township School District
Upper Pittsgrove Township School District
Somerset County
Bound Brook School District
South Bound Brook School District
Sussex County
Lenape Valley Regional High School District
Ogdensburg Public School
Vernon Township Public Schools
Union County
Springfield School District
Winfield School District
Warren County
Oxford Township School District