With seven public schools opening their doors to any Rock Hill student in August, families will have more options than ever.
And it's just the beginning, say district officials, who expect more campuses to become "schools of choice" in coming years.
Starting Feb. 14, families can apply to enroll children in one of five programs across seven schools of choice. Applications will be available Tuesday. Enrollment is first-come, first-served, associate superintendent Luanne Kokolis said.
Families can choose from:
Northside Elementary School of the Arts
The Children's School at Sylvia Circle's Montessori program
Sunset Park Center for Accelerated Studies' magnet program for gifted and talented students
Ebinport and Richmond Drive elementary schools' Spanish language and global studies programs
Saluda Trail and Sullivan middle schools' Middle Years International Baccalaureate programs
Any Rock Hill student can apply to attend a school of choice. Those in the school's attendance zone get first choice and bus transportation. Families outside the attendance area must provide transportation.
The exception is Sunset Park's gifted and talented magnet program, which requires applicants to meet the state's "gifted and talented" guidelines. However, any elementary-age student can apply for the school's accelerated studies program.
Rock Hill joins a growing number of districts statewide offering families more options for their children's education.
From science and technology magnets to virtual schools to Montessori to charter schools, the options for public school students are growing.
Following a push by former Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, South Carolina has become a national leader in single-gender classes.
Rex's successor, Mick Zais, plans to continue the effort.
Some districts are farther along than others.
In Richland County School District 2, a student can apply to attend any school she wants, whether it is for a special magnet program or just because her parents like a particular campus.
"We get a lot of satisfied parents," said Richland 2 registrar Roger Wiley. "We frequently get calls from other districts" seeking advice.
Richland District 2 started with a few magnet programs in the early 1990s, then expanded choice district-wide.
"We see an increase in family involvement (in school) when an active choice is made," said Dawn McLeod, the district's director of academic initiatives.
Like Rock Hill, bus transportation is limited to students living in a school's attendance area.
Parents and educators worry that children who can't find transportation will be excluded.
Roy Collins, father of a Rock Hill High School junior, challenged the school board to address the issue.
"You're going to have a pocket of students that's going to be left behind because of transportation," Collins said. "They won't have the opportunity for that advanced level of education."
Superintendent Lynn Moody said the district would survey families to see how many want to attend a school of choice but don't have a ride. But she warned that there's no money to bus students all over the city.
"I'm always encouraged to see school districts' offering more curriculum choices to students and parents," Zais said. "The next step is ensuring that students can actually access those options, including public charter schools and magnet schools.
"Transportation is an important issue, and I look forward to addressing it with Gov. (Nikki) Haley and the General Assembly."
Growing demand
Rock Hill's three existing schools of choice - Northside, Sylvia Circle and Sunset Park - have proved popular.
At The Children's School, 90 percent of students live outside the attendance boundaries.
Since Sunset Park began offering choice, enrollment has nearly doubled.
Claire Eisentrout is touring each of the schools, as well as charter school York Preparatory Academy, hunting for a place to send her 6-year-old daughter, Libby, in August.
She's encouraged by the options.
"Parents today like the idea of choice," she said. "Not all children fall into the traditional norm."
Rock Hill families could get at least one new option a year, Kokolis said.
"In the future, we hope all five middle schools are offering choice," she said.
A 20-member choice committee has talked about a middle school arts program and technology-science magnet.
Choice also can help cut costs by consolidating programs, Rock Hill schools spokeswoman Elaine Baker said.
International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement courses offered at all three high schools could each be consolidated at a school where enrollment opens district-wide, Baker said.
"IB is an expensive program," she said.
Moody has talked about eventually eliminating schools' traditional attendance lines.
"We no longer live in an attendance-boundary world," Moody has said.
"We're kind of slowly progressing down this road at every grade level."
