That's because if the proposal becomes law, the district might scale back, or even eliminate, its choice program at about a crowded dozen schools in an attempt to limit the number of students eligible for a voucher. It's all very iffy at this point because nobody's sure if the voucher bill will become law, but district officials are nevertheless analyzing their school choice data to begin planning changes. The proposal defines a severely crowded school as one housing at least 20 percent more students than it was designed to hold. There are eight such schools in Pasco, and they are home to more than 11,600 students. Some of those eight schools could see their crowding greatly reduced if the district removed them from the school choice program, which allows children to attend schools outside their neighborhoods.
State law requires Florida school districts to offer parents some sort of school choice program.
Each year about 5,000 children take advantage of the choice program, and at some schools their enrollment exacerbates crowding. For example, Ridgewood High School this year has squeezed 1,700 students onto a campus designed to hold 1,300. The school is 35 percent over capacity, and if the proposed law passes, each student there would be eligible for a private school voucher. But more than 300 students attend Ridgewood through the choice program. Eliminate those choice kids, and Ridgewood would be crowded by about only 100 students, and none of its students would qualify for the voucher.