BATON ROUGE (AP) — Superintendent of Education John White said Thursday he’s adding another $1 million to the budget for the state’s new Course Choice program to eliminate the waiting list.

The program offers online and nontraditional high school course offerings to public school students. Academic courses and skills training are being taught by private organizations and universities.

With the new money, as many as 4,000 students can be enrolled in Course Choice. So far, more than 3,400 students from 38 parishes have applied for courses, and White said he’ll keep the enrollment open until Aug. 27.

“We simply cannot ignore the demand for the in-person and online courses and are making an immediate move to clear the waitlist,” White said.

The program will cost the state an estimated $3 million for the 2013-14 school year. White said the added $1 million comes from savings in travel and supplies and the elimination of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills for second-graders.

Lawmakers created the program in 2012, to begin this fall. The Department of Education has scrounged for money to pay for it since the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled initial plans to finance Course Choice through the public school funding formula unconstitutional.

“We tried to cut every cost that we possibly can,” White said.

Public school students can enroll in the courses with the state paying the costs if they attend a school currently graded with a C, D or F in the state accountability system — or if they attend a school that doesn’t offer the class they want to take.

The most popular classes are foreign language, Algebra, ACT preparation and biology courses, according to the education department. Largest enrollment is in Orleans, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Jackson, Claiborne and Washington parishes, White said.

(MGNonline)