AUGUSTA, Maine – Parents of students in Maine’s public schools are expected to have an easier time  transferring their children to another district, though they still must go through the local superintendent.

Maine lawmakers say requests from parents to transfer students between public school districts is on the rise and passed legislation this spring to better facilitate the process. Previously, parents were required to gain permission from the local superintendents in both affected school districts, and could appeal a denial to the education commissioner, the Bangor Daily News reports.

Under the new rules, which went into effect this month, parents would still need superintendents’ approval, but the superintendents are now required to explain their reason for a denial. If parents don’t agree, they can still appeal to the commissioner, but the new rules add a second appeals process to the state Board of Education, if denied by the commissioner, the news site reports.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

“We all should want every student, no matter their unique circumstances, to be successful in school and if a transfer is going to increase that likelihood, then that transfer is in the student’s best interest, period,” Jim Rier, the state’s acting education commissioner, told the Daily News. “While for the majority of Maine’s 185,000 students, the best choice for them is to attend school where they live, that is not the case for every student.”

The tweeks are nice, but they’re simply tweeks. Like many states, Maine is dipping its toe in the school choice pool, seeming to recognize the power of choice, but failing to fully embrace the concept.

It’s no doubt a good thing that Maine parents now get an explanation if their child’s transfer is denied, and it’s great that they can appeal their appeal.

But tinkering with the program isn’t what will get results. There’s no true competition for students between public schools because superintendents hold the reigns.

To affect real change, and to fully embrace school choice, Maine’s education officials need to get serious. They need to open the school house door and erase the imaginary boundaries between districts, allowing students to attend whichever school they desire, with no special permission needed.

The state has roughly 185,000 students, and approved about 1,500 transfer requests in 2012-13, the Daily News reports.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

“The DOE does not track how many transfer requests were denied, though 143 appeals have already been filed to the department during the current school year and only four have been denied,” according to the news site.

If those parents could freely transfer their children to schools that best fit their needs, and their per-pupil state aid followed them, then districts best serving students would receive more state resources, while those failing would languish, and eventually fade away.

Taking it a step farther, state lawmakers could create a voucher program like more innovative states like Indiana and Louisiana, which extended school choice competition to every school in the state, both public and private.

That would be the best scenario for parents and taxpayers, but it appears lawmakers in Augusta are still playing games.