The case for expanding New Jersey school choice program is getting new attention after mediation talks failed in a lawsuit about how to desegregate the state's public schools.

Now, the program allows students in grades K through 12 to enroll with a participating school district in neighboring towns for free.

Supporters say it helps students tap into specialized programs like high level classes.

While critics worry it's the pretense for moving toward a voucher program and child welfare, writer Hannah Gross is with me now to discuss this.

Hannah, thanks for coming in to talk about this.

So, this has been a discussion in the education world for years.

Why are we seeing it, the resurgence of it right now?

Well, there's this major school segregation lawsuit initiated in 2018 where groups like the Latino Action Network and the NAACP sued the state of new Jersey, arguing that the schools are too segregated and students aren't getting the education they deserve.

That case went into mediated talks where the parties were trying to come up with an agreement that they could agree to on how to desegregate the schools.

Those talks ultimately failed, and the case is heading back to court, which could take years.

So people are saying this is a solution that could happen quicker before we get a court ruling.

Yeah, considering it's already taken several years and it doesn't look like it's going to wrap up any time soon.

Parents and families are saying, hey, we want a solution.

What's the case being made in favor of school vouchers of school choice programs?

I mean, this is a way that students can attend other public schools for free.

So it's not vouchers for private schools.

They would just be attending basically neighboring school districts.

Or if they're willing to drive a little bit further, district maybe in another county or a few counties away.

So it allows for more choice and more diversity by giving students more options.

You spoke with families with students about this in particular.

What did they tell you that they liked about having those options?

I spoke to two students who attend the Glassboro School District, and they both come from predominantly white towns and said they like attending Glassboro because the student body is much more diverse there.

They're exposed to students from different backgrounds with different perspectives.

Okay.

There's also, though, for many years now been a case that when you lose that student, you lose the money that goes with them.

How would districts absorb that?

And what did opponents tell you about their concerns.

Yeah.

So money from the state follows the student.

It's a per pupil amount from the state and the local property taxes.

Money raised that way stays with the local school district.

So local districts will have less students and less funding.

But you can't necessarily cut staff or cut facilities if you just lose one student.

So you still have to keep the lights on and to keep the heat running.

Whether you lose 1 or 2 students or 30.

Yeah.

So how would they balance that?

Because there's a real concern out there that, you know, lower performing districts who might lose more students would then have no way to absorb it.

It could require more money from the state.

And we know it's a tough budget years, but the state keeps telling everyone.

So there might not be room for that.

But for people who really want to see the schools desegregated, maybe it's something that the state should be paying for that's worth the investment.

How many students or how many districts right now, have opted in to using this school choice for the next school year?

There's going to be 119 choice districts, and they spread around pretty evenly.

Or do we see them concentrated in certain parts of the state?

All counties have them except for Essex and Middlesex counties.

Okay.

Why is that?

Do we know?

The program has been frozen for about a decade.

So even if districts in those counties want to join, they haven't had the chance to do so with that.

Many districts who are, opting in to using to being choice districts.

Does it meet the need?

I mean, are there students who are sitting on waitlists right now who are hoping to be part of this and just can't?

They're more students who are interested in being part of a choice district than there are seats.

So the most recent data I have is from the 2022 2023 school year, and there were more than 2000 students on waitlist then.

Does it list Hannah their primary reasons for wanting to be a part of it?

Is it, as you mentioned, those students from South Jersey who said, we want to go to these schools that have more diverse populations, but is it just programs that are offered academics?

You know, what will be available to them?

It's different reasons.

Sometimes it's for academics, like if there's an academy program, as in one of the schools I spoke to where you could take college classes as a high school student, it might also be because your parent or guardian works in another district, and it's easier for them to drop you off at school closer to work.

There's a ton of different reasons.

Maybe a kid is being bullied and they want to leave their current district, but stay in the public school system right?

No easy answer, that's for sure.

You can find Hannah's full reporting on this on our website, NJ Spotlight News.org Hannah Gross, thanks for coming in.

Thanks, Bri.