Seventy-four districts apply to join N.J. interdistrict school choice program
Published: Thursday, November 11, 2010, 9:55 PM
Gov. Chris Christie delivered the keynote address at the National School Choice, a program that will soon become a reality among N.J. public schools. Seventy-four districts applied to receive students before the deadline.Declining enrollments and a need to help pay for school budgets has prompted school systems across the state to seek out-of-district students to fill their empty seats.
Seventy-four districts submitted applications by the Oct. 29 deadline to join the state’s expanded inter-district public school choice program, which Gov. Chris Christie signed into law two months ago. Most applicants were from the state’s southern counties; no districts applied in Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Middlesex counties.
An interested student can apply to participate in the program once the list of receiving districts is finalized by the Department of Education in January, giving students enough time to seek new schools for the 2011-2012 school year. Districts that receive additional students also get those students’ state aid