School Choice Program Deadline Looms

Six students Regional High School in September.

More could follow. But they must decide soon.

The deadline for residents to notify Hopatcong that they're considering participating in the Interdistrict Public School Choice program is Nov. 1. Applications must be submitted Dec. 1.

Click here for a Notice of Intent form. Click on the photo to the right for a screen shot of an advertisement Lenape Valley has been running in local newspapers.

Lenape Valley is one of four Sussex County schools participating in the choice program, which allows students to attend other schools for free provided its within 20 miles of their sending district. Transportation becomes the responsibility of the family when farther away. Vernon Township Public Schools, the Lafayette Township School District and the Ogdensburg Public School are also participating in the program.

Hopatcong Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano's office said he was attending the New Jersey School Boards Association Workshop & Exhibition in Atlantic City and couldn't be reached for comment Monday. Of the six students who left Hopatcong, three were freshmen, one never attended school in the borough and the other two left mid-high school.

Superintendent Paul Palek said Lenape Valley, which the U.S. News & World Report gave a bronze medal award denoting it as among the nation's top high schools, participates in the program because "it's an alternate revenues source which assists in us receiving more state aid."

Palek's office said Lenape Valley, which accepted 10 students total this fall, has 36 open seats for the 2012-2013 school year—that means 12 freshmen, 12 sophomores, seven juniors and five seniors. If it receives more applications than seats in a grade level, the school chooses students via lottery.

“All children, regardless of where they are born, should have the same hope and opportunity that comes with attending a school that works best for them. The Interdistrict Public School Choice program empowers parents to make the best educational choices for their children, so they have the best chance for a successful future,” Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said in a statement. “This program also allows districts to maximize enrollment and more efficiently use space in their schools.”

The Interdistrict Public School Choice program, which Gov. Chris Christie signed into law in Sept. 2010, began in 2000 as a five-year pilot program. Seventy-one school districts are participating in the program in 2012-2013, with Elsinboro Township District in Salem County and Franklin Township District in Hunterdon County as the newest additions. The program saw 1,878 participants in 2011-2012.