Home district must provide transportation to other schools
NJ Gov. Chris Christie discusses the school choice bill in this file photo.TRENTON — Parents dissatisfied with the quality of their local public schools can now send their children to classrooms located well beyond district lines following Gov. Chris Christie’s signing of a school choice bill this evening.
Sponsored by Assembly Democrats Mila Jasey, Joan Voss and Paul Moriarty, the law allows students to attend any other public school in the state whose enrollment is not at capacity. The law will also require home district to provide and pay for students’ transportation to their new schools up to 20 miles away, a significant financial responsibility the bill’s sponsors did not negate.
“No doubt, some students who find themselves stifled at their current school would prosper in a neighboring school district,” said Voss (D-Bergen). “But we also need to be fair and mindful of the necessity to balance the needs of students with costs ultimately borne by taxpayers.”
Though it’s unclear how many students and districts will participate in the program, it could become a costly burden for districts still stinging from the $820 million cut to education spending made by Gov. Chris Christie this spring.
The governor’s office could not be reached for comment on the new law.
Executive Director of the Garden State Schools Coalition Lynne Strickland said she supports school choice, but that the cost of transportation would concern her if a large number of student opt into the program. She added, however, that the number of participating students could be smaller than some anticipate.
“It’s a big move for families to make, to send their child away from their neighborhood,” Strickland said, “There will likely be hotspots where the program is utilized more.”
The New Jersey Education Association and the New Jersey School Boards Association also expressed support for the new law, but spokesmen for both organziations said they do not support a similar bill proposing vouchers for public school students to attend private schools.
“We draw the line at public funds going to non public schools,” said School Boards Assocaition Spokesman Frank Belluscio.
Schools seeking students from other districts will apply to Acting Commissioner of Education Rochelle Hendricks, detailing the services they offer and the fiscal impact of being a choice district. Students wishing to transfer to approved districts with available space will also have to apply to do so. Though schools cannot discriminate among applicants, schools in high demand will hold lotteries to determine which students they accept.