COLUMBIA - State Education Superintendent Jim Rex said Friday that next year's public school choice legislation will focus on expanding students' options within schools and districts, while making transfers between districts voluntary.

The choice bill the Democrat pushed this year died when legislators failed by 14 votes to override the veto of Gov. Mark Sanford, who wants the state to help parents pay for private school tuition, an idea that has failed repeatedly in the House for years.

Dr. Rex said that next year he will eliminate the requirement that schools accept some students from other districts. He said seven or so of the state's 85 districts are looking into transfer agreements with bordering districts.

"As far as it being voluntary, that's not going to help anybody because they're allowed to do that right now, and they've not embraced that concept," said Denver Merrill, a spokesman for South Carolinians for Responsible Government, a group leading the push for vouchers. "That bolsters our argument to open up more choices in private schools."

A Sanford spokesman called the change a step backward.

"We vetoed the bill because it offered too few choices," Joel Sawyer said.

Dr. Rex said the new legislation will still require every school district to create a public school choice program. Within two years, each district must provide at least one option at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

The state Education Department already is working with districts to expand choices, despite the bill's failure.

"The only problem with doing it without legislation is that some of the districts who need this the most either can't afford it or don't have the leadership to push this ahead," Dr. Rex said.

More than 60 schools in 45 districts will offer single-gender classes when school opens this year - roughly twice as many schools as last year, said David Chadwell, the state's new director of single-gender initiatives.

The state will soon hire someone whose sole duty will be to foster Montessori programs, Dr. Rex said. Other choices being explored include elementary schools that immerse students in a foreign language, schools with a strong emphasis on the arts, uniforms and no-homework schools.