WaPo takes deep dive into DCPS residency fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been waiting for the Atasha James thing to come out.

That's actually not the reason she was put on admin leave nor did she resign despite what her husband said in the article. But this story sounds better than the truth.

If THIS sounds better than the truth, what the heck is the truth?

[Anonymous]

I find it funny that this is considered a deep dive. There is so much to residency fraud. I would love to see a series on it. I would love to see a quarterly "scorecard" on it.

There is public data that was published a few years ago that had where children lived and the schools they attended. There was a child enrolled at Anacostia who had a home address in Ward 3. Hey DC detectives - start with the things that make people say WTF!!!

DC - there is this thing called big data - you know when addresses are used by multiple families. The residency audit should see when 1 family provides a electiric bill, a second family a gas bill and a 3rd a water bill for evidence of residency.

DC - do NOT provide transcripts so families can enroll their children elsewhere if their is an outstanding bill.

DC - start with current Ellington Seniors. Go validate the residency papers. Do not give diplomas if there is fraud. Next go to the Junior class. Parent's would FREAK OUT if they thought their child would not be able to apply to college next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Solution --

a) Go to you IB school to declare intent to enroll, turn in medical forms and sign a form agreeing to have your residency verified via city records (TANF, SNAP, tax returns). 80-90% of people will do that.

Verification happens at a central location.

b) Have anyone not able to do item A go to an office and work out another arrangement.

This is a very good, workable idea. It makes me think of the pre-cleared airport check-in lines the Dept. of Homeland Security runs.

PP, hope you talk to your city council member's office to advance this idea, or a journalist reads about it here and asks DCPS why it couldn't work.

[Anonymous]

Thanks 6:47. That was my idea. I have emailed my council member, but I’m represented by Brandon Todd...

Perhaps someone else will share it with their rep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks 6:47. That was my idea. I have emailed my council member, but I’m represented by Brandon Todd...

Perhaps someone else will share it with their rep.

I emailed the entire education committee on Monday nothing yet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grosso has weighed in. Don't expect anything resembling a crackdown anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/986340225440940037

Ugh.

Translation:
We know there is fraud, but it's hard and takes work to ferret out and honestly, we don't really care very much.

More like, if we ferret out the fraud we'd have to admit that

a) DC school population is NOT growing
b) we'd have to close schools
c) charter operators would be able to lease the schools and siphon more students away from DCPS

What makes you think some of the residency fraud committed is not occurring as much if not MORE at charters? OSSE covers both. This isn't a DCPS issue, it's a public education issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why I tend to laugh when people talk about statehood, like another poster mentioned. Sorry but I don't want to give entitled cheaters more power. Why would anyone want more scandals and corruption?

So are scandals and corruption enough for states to lose their right to statehood? Just making sure I understand how you assess which US citizens are entitled to statehood and which ones are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Solution --

a) Go to you IB school to declare intent to enroll, turn in medical forms and sign a form agreeing to have your residency verified via city records (TANF, SNAP, tax returns). 80-90% of people will do that.

Verification happens at a central location.

b) Have anyone not able to do item A go to an office and work out another arrangement.

This is a very good, workable idea. It makes me think of the pre-cleared airport check-in lines the Dept. of Homeland Security runs.

PP, hope you talk to your city council member's office to advance this idea, or a journalist reads about it here and asks DCPS why it couldn't work.

Good ideas, also start with the schools with the longest wait lists!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks 6:47. That was my idea. I have emailed my council member, but I’m represented by Brandon Todd...

Perhaps someone else will share it with their rep.

He will do nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks 6:47. That was my idea. I have emailed my council member, but I’m represented by Brandon Todd...

Perhaps someone else will share it with their rep.

He will do nothing.

WJLA and the news media seem to be on all these issues more than DCPS and council. Contract the reporter ....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grosso has weighed in. Don't expect anything resembling a crackdown anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/986340225440940037

Ugh.

Translation:
We know there is fraud, but it's hard and takes work to ferret out and honestly, we don't really care very much.

More like, if we ferret out the fraud we'd have to admit that

a) DC school population is NOT growing
b) we'd have to close schools
c) charter operators would be able to lease the schools and siphon more students away from DCPS

What makes you think some of the residency fraud committed is not occurring as much if not MORE at charters? OSSE covers both. This isn't a DCPS issue, it's a public education issue.

I do think it happens at charters. But it would be harder to do. For a neighborhood school all you need is an address that convinces the registrar. For a charter, you would need that AND a good lottery number or someone willing to sneak you in. That's harder to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grosso has weighed in. Don't expect anything resembling a crackdown anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/986340225440940037

Ugh.

Translation:
We know there is fraud, but it's hard and takes work to ferret out and honestly, we don't really care very much.

More like, if we ferret out the fraud we'd have to admit that

a) DC school population is NOT growing
b) we'd have to close schools
c) charter operators would be able to lease the schools and siphon more students away from DCPS

What makes you think some of the residency fraud committed is not occurring as much if not MORE at charters? OSSE covers both. This isn't a DCPS issue, it's a public education issue.

I do think it happens at charters. But it would be harder to do. For a neighborhood school all you need is an address that convinces the registrar. For a charter, you would need that AND a good lottery number or someone willing to sneak you in. That's harder to do.

Huh? No it's not. You just play the lottery like everyone else. And produce the same docs you would for DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top priority should be schools where even IB kids are waitlisted for pk3/pk4. And schools that are "overcrowded" such that the kids that attend the school are negatively affected (including their feeders).

Those schools should undergo an immediate audit.

Once that is done, DCPS needs to conduct regular audits at other schools and change their residency verification program.

Time to clean up shop.

+1000 and a check of any immediate relatives of DC employees, nieces and nephews!

Agree completely. Our WOTP had to eliminate one class of PK4 because it is the most overcrowded school in DC. One of my kids' friends was sent to her new MoCo several weeks into the school year after trying to remain at the school after her family moved. The school administration is definitely on top of it. The feeder MS, not so much - or certainly looking the other way. If we could shake loose any number of kids in the upper grades who live in other educational jurisdictions (don't get me started with OOB cheaters, lots of those too) the school building would have some breathing room and might finally be able to add PK4. It would take a lot more to even think about adding PK3 - like requiring foreign governments whose diplomats' kids attend DCPS for free to pay instead, or to apply through MSDC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grosso has weighed in. Don't expect anything resembling a crackdown anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/986340225440940037

Ugh.

Translation:
We know there is fraud, but it's hard and takes work to ferret out and honestly, we don't really care very much.

More like, if we ferret out the fraud we'd have to admit that

a) DC school population is NOT growing
b) we'd have to close schools
c) charter operators would be able to lease the schools and siphon more students away from DCPS

What makes you think some of the residency fraud committed is not occurring as much if not MORE at charters? OSSE covers both. This isn't a DCPS issue, it's a public education issue.

I do think it happens at charters. But it would be harder to do. For a neighborhood school all you need is an address that convinces the registrar. For a charter, you would need that AND a good lottery number or someone willing to sneak you in. That's harder to do.

You are thinking of DCUM charter schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grosso has weighed in. Don't expect anything resembling a crackdown anytime soon.

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/986340225440940037

Ugh.

Translation:
We know there is fraud, but it's hard and takes work to ferret out and honestly, we don't really care very much.

More like, if we ferret out the fraud we'd have to admit that

a) DC school population is NOT growing
b) we'd have to close schools
c) charter operators would be able to lease the schools and siphon more students away from DCPS

What makes you think some of the residency fraud committed is not occurring as much if not MORE at charters? OSSE covers both. This isn't a DCPS issue, it's a public education issue.

I do think it happens at charters. But it would be harder to do. For a neighborhood school all you need is an address that convinces the registrar. For a charter, you would need that AND a good lottery number or someone willing to sneak you in. That's harder to do.

My guess is that the majority of residency fraud (not boundary cheating) is at charters that do not have much, if any, of a wait list. This shouldn't stop investigations into Ellington and elsewhere from happening, but that's where the numbers come from.