Applause of approval followed New Jerusalem School District’s three-man board’s decision to convert all but one grade level in the district’s traditional elementary school to a site-based charter school.

Superintendent David Thoming presented a slideshow to the 15 parents and teachers who made up the audience, explaining the benefits of the switch and what it would mean for the district.

In a nutshell, the change would put about $60,000 more into the district’s budget next school year, according to Thoming. The district will receive an average of $250 more per child now enrolled in the 250-student traditional school.

"We are concerned about dollars," Thoming said. "Every dollar we get goes to help the students."

The operating budget for the 2008-09 school year hasn’t been set, but the budget for the district’s 2007-08 school year is $5.3 million.

New Jerusalem now receives $5,540 for each student per year, about $30 less than the state average. For that reason, the district is one of just a few that would actually receive more state money by switching to charter status, said Greg Geeding, a consultant with State Department of Education.

The switch would also protect New Jerusalem from losing students who have transferred from other school districts. Students don’t need permission from the district in which they live to attend a charter school, but to attend another traditional school, they must request a formal interdistrict transfer.

As of next year, Patterson Unified School District will halt interdistrict transfers, which means nine of New Jerusalem’s students would have had to return to Patterson Unified.

Trustee Steve Bogetti said there’s a fear that other local districts will one day stop approving transfers, too.

"It would be devastating to New Jerusalem," he said.

Only about 150 students live within the rural 132-year-old district, but students travel from as far as Modesto to make up a total K-12 enrollment of 760.

The kindergarten class will stay a traditional public school, because if an entire school district becomes a charter, it must be sponsored by another district.

Because state education guidelines are lifted from charter schools, New Jerusalem Elementary next year will have more flexibility in the classroom, fifth-grade teacher Kathy Pocoroba said, allowing more online learning and hands-on projects.

"There are a lot of constraints set down by the state," said Pocoroba, who’s taught at the traditional elementary school for 31 years. "It would allow us to do a lot of things that we would normally not be able to do."

Parent club treasurer Kathy Bacchetti said she’d like to see the district able to pay for more extracurricular activities, like art and music.

The elementary school’s parent club, through fundraisers, foots the bill for school assemblies and for an artist to visit the classrooms for two eight-week sessions.

"Then we can use that money elsewhere," said Bacchetti, whose two young children are fifth-generation New Jerusalem students.

"I think this (change to charter) could open up more opportunities for these students."