WaPo takes deep dive into DCPS residency fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

FWIW the audit which uncovered the Ellington issues found far more questionable enrollment paperwork at DCPS schools than charters. That isn't conclusive, of course.

https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2017-18%20School%20Year%20Audit%20and%20Verification%20of%20Student%20Enrollment%20Report%20-%20Feb%202018.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are wrong - people are not cheating to get into crappy schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Exactly. The charters that aren’t preferred by the DCUM crowd, but are still solid schools with PK and beforecare and aftercare, and that are near Maryland, are the places to look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are wrong - people are not cheating to get into crappy schools.

Actually, they are. Free PK and beforecare and aftercare on your commute into the city for work are worth a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are wrong - people are not cheating to get into crappy schools.

Nah. You're mistaken. Plenty of people are for PK3/PK4 and/or a convenient commute.

[Anonymous]

Since when is a decently reported article looking into obvious data a "deep dive."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are wrong - people are not cheating to get into crappy schools.

Nah. You're mistaken. Plenty of people are for PK3/PK4 and/or a convenient commute.

Yes, and what sucks is that the incentive is to keep those kids enrolled so that these middling charters don't lose money or even close down. So the watchdogs need to be much much stronger. Actually everyone's incentive is to keep the numbers artificially high. Yet another problem with mayoral rule over everything. Where is the check and balance?

[Anonymous]

There are definitely MD residents at my charter. In every grade. My child's class has at least 3. This charter has a lengthy waitlist.

School said all paperwork was audited and 100% compliant so all is well. Which just shows how easy it is to fake paperwork.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since when is a decently reported article looking into obvious data a "deep dive."

That's DCPS lingo they use it at PD all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are wrong - people are not cheating to get into crappy schools.

Actually, they are. Free PK and beforecare and aftercare on your commute into the city for work are worth a ton.

That's what my neighbors do, then their grandparents take them to school! They have paperwork to show they live at the address but don't really and all the children work for the Feds!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are definitely MD residents at my charter. In every grade. My child's class has at least 3. This charter has a lengthy waitlist.

School said all paperwork was audited and 100% compliant so all is well. Which just shows how easy it is to fake paperwork.

This. We are at one of the highly regarded charters, and there are definitely MD residents there. On the way out of aftercare one day, one little kid told me that he lives in MD when he overheard my child and I talking about where we live vs. where her grandparents live, etc. Apparently it is pretty easy to pass for compliance.

[Anonymous]

From the OSSE enrollment audit last fall, these schools (DCPS and charters) had nonresident students who were not on a tuition plan (and yes, I know the Post says they aren't all paying, but that's a diff issue).

I've left off the private placement schools, which had nonresident students placed by a DC school, because those are likely to be the most complicated situations. Most of those are from DCPS, but not all.

Bolded schools have > 1

Academy of Hope PCS 1
Basis DC PCS 1
Breakthroughugh PCS 6
Aiton 1
Ballou STAY 1
Brent 1
Ellington 19
HD Cooke 1
Woodson HS 4
Houston 2
Janney 1
Jefferson 2
King Elementary 1
Langdon 3
La Salle Backus 1
Malcom X @ Green 4
Mann Elem 1
Miner 5
Moten 1
Plummer Elem 1
Randle Highlands 1
Roosevelt HS 8
SWW @ FS 1
Shepherd 11
Smothers 4
Sousa 2
Washington Metropolitan HS 5
Wilson 4
Eagle Academy Riverfront PCS 1
Excel PCS 1
Friendship Collegiate PCS 1
Goodwill Excel 2
Ideal Academy 10
Kingsman Academy PCS 3
KIPP Will PCS 1
LAYC Career Acad PCS 1
Bethune PCS 1
National Collegiate Prep PCS 1
Richard Wright PCS 13
Shining Stars PCS 2
Sustainable Futures PCS 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are wrong - people are not cheating to get into crappy schools.

Actually, they are. Free PK and beforecare and aftercare on your commute into the city for work are worth a ton.

That's what my neighbors do, then their grandparents take them to school! They have paperwork to show they live at the address but don't really and all the children work for the Feds!

Wow I just realized that's probably what my neighbors do too. I live around a lot of grandparents. Happen to know one of them sends grandkids to a DL HRCS; but they don't live in the home with them. How would you root out such cases though?

[Anonymous]

People aren’t cheating to get into crappy schools?

Please. The MD border is right next to many ward 8 schools. They are using it for PK3 and PK4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You are wrong - people are not cheating to get into crappy schools.

Actually, they are. Free PK and beforecare and aftercare on your commute into the city for work are worth a ton.

That's what my neighbors do, then their grandparents take them to school! They have paperwork to show they live at the address but don't really and all the children work for the Feds!

Wow I just realized that's probably what my neighbors do too. I live around a lot of grandparents. Happen to know one of them sends grandkids to a DL HRCS; but they don't live in the home with them. How would you root out such cases though?

What would have to happen is someone would report them to OSSE and say that you know that Suzy and Sammy Q do not reside in DC and yet attend Happy Days PCS.

OSSE's one investigator would then, supposedly follow up and they would either be caught. Or not. But even if they had 10 investigators instead of 1, nothing will happen if no one calls and reports them.