WaPo takes deep dive into DCPS residency fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OSSE needs to start with going for the low-hanging fruit - stable, middle-class families who use DCPS and DCPC schools but don't pay income tax to the District.

When we were investigated for residency fraud a few years ago, we were given a few days to produce several years of certified tax returns showing an IB address and DC withholding, along with a good many other documents proving residency (multiple utility bills, car registration, driver's licenses etc.). No problem for us and we were cleared on the spot.

What was the reason they had for investigating you? I'm wondering what triggers an investigation.

We were amicably separating at the time. Dad was staying with a relative in MD, borrowing a MD plate car. A busybody with an axe to grind in the school community wrote the residency fraud investigation people, claiming that we'd stolen "her" ECE spot. We were shown her letter and given a chance to clarify matters. No big deal, we had the required paperwork and weren't cheating. The system worked.

That's good to know it worked. I've often wondered if my family would be reported by someone, because my son splits his time between my home in DC and his dad's home in Maryland. His dad has Maryland plates. Hasn't happened yet, but if it ever does, sounds like it will be easy to resolve.

Right, that is good to know. I'm going ot admit that when this debate started on DCUM a few years ago about MD plates I scoffed and thought it wasn't a big deal, and that there were probably many cases of divorce, or guardianship, or military, or nannies or whatever. I'm still sure that is a big part of the cars with MD plates issue, but I've swung around to believe there are a lot of cheaters and a great deal of fraud occurring and it warrants investigation.

+1

[Anonymous]

Taxes, taxes, taxes. This is my huge sticking point in this entire debate.

It's so easy to solve this problem via annual tax certification, yet lawmakers (and lawbreakers) throw out every mealy-mouthed excuse as to why this won't work.

I honestly don't even care if the kids live in Silver Spring or PGC most of the time so long as their legal guardians/parents are filing DC taxes and claiming the kid as a dependent.

Two kids in DCPS or DCCS? Then produce a 2017 DC tax return with two child dependents claimed. Even the poorest of DC's poor need to pull together annual taxes to continue filing for TANF and SNAP benefits.

[Anonymous]

Taxes, taxes, taxes. This is my huge sticking point in this entire debate.

It's so easy to solve this problem via annual tax certification, yet lawmakers (and lawbreakers) throw out every mealy-mouthed excuse as to why this won't work.

I honestly don't even care if the kids live in Silver Spring or PGC most of the time so long as their legal guardians/parents are filing DC taxes and claiming the kid as a dependent.

Two kids in DCPS or DCCS? Then produce a 2017 DC tax return with two child dependents claimed. Even the poorest of DC's poor need to pull together annual taxes to continue filing for TANF and SNAP benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:once again, "the legacy of racism" justifies the problem, the illegality, or the rule-breaking. Rather than being appalled at the rationalization, I think spending time to contemplate that perspective explains a lot.

It is just outrageous that they feel it’s a right because they were born here. That isn’t how life works for anybody! They likely moved out to the suburbs because they wanted a bigger house for less.

[Anonymous]

the biggest anti-poverty program the government has is the earned income tax credit program. it has the government write checks to poor people. but they have to file a return in order to claim it, even if they owe nothing.

[Anonymous]

I have a co-worker who did not think twice at enrolling his DS at a HRC Middle School. He was divorced. Wife had custody. He lived in DC. Wife lived in MD.

Just b/c Dad lives in DC does not make you a resident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a co-worker who did not think twice at enrolling his DS at a HRC Middle School. He was divorced. Wife had custody. He lived in DC. Wife lived in MD.

Just b/c Dad lives in DC does not make you a resident.

Actually, under DC's regulations (updated in 2017) for the purposes of school enrollment, it does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a co-worker who did not think twice at enrolling his DS at a HRC Middle School. He was divorced. Wife had custody. He lived in DC. Wife lived in MD.

Just b/c Dad lives in DC does not make you a resident.

Agree. But better than neither parent in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a co-worker who did not think twice at enrolling his DS at a HRC Middle School. He was divorced. Wife had custody. He lived in DC. Wife lived in MD.

Just b/c Dad lives in DC does not make you a resident.

Agree. But better than neither parent in DC.

+1

I think OSSE should require certified tax returns for all. For divorced parents or parents who were never married, they should require a certified copy of the custody agreement so residency can be properly determined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:once again, "the legacy of racism" justifies the problem, the illegality, or the rule-breaking. Rather than being appalled at the rationalization, I think spending time to contemplate that perspective explains a lot.

It is just outrageous that they feel it’s a right because they were born here. That isn’t how life works for anybody! They likely moved out to the suburbs because they wanted a bigger house for less.

That entitlement is a problem and needs to be met head on. This sense of a "right" coupled with the apparent fact that a large proportion are DC government employees shows clearly why OSSE and even the Council are not rushing to hire a full team of fraud investigators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a co-worker who did not think twice at enrolling his DS at a HRC Middle School. He was divorced. Wife had custody. He lived in DC. Wife lived in MD.

Just b/c Dad lives in DC does not make you a resident.

Agree. But better than neither parent in DC.

+1

I think OSSE should require certified tax returns for all. For divorced parents or parents who were never married, they should require a certified copy of the custody agreement so residency can be properly determined.

The DC Code does not go this far. Any parent or guardian who lives in DC can enroll their child in a DC public school, regardless of custody agreements.

Let's have OSSE enforce the rules on the books before we try to create new ones. https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/sections/38-308.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a co-worker who did not think twice at enrolling his DS at a HRC Middle School. He was divorced. Wife had custody. He lived in DC. Wife lived in MD.

Just b/c Dad lives in DC does not make you a resident.

Agree. But better than neither parent in DC.

+1

I think OSSE should require certified tax returns for all. For divorced parents or parents who were never married, they should require a certified copy of the custody agreement so residency can be properly determined.

The DC Code does not go this far. Any parent or guardian who lives in DC can enroll their child in a DC public school, regardless of custody agreements.

Let's have OSSE enforce the rules on the books before we try to create new ones. https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/sections/38-308.html

right, exactly. There is so much flagrant fraud that I think OSSE should work on! o one wants to make life harder for kids of divorce or whatever circumstance. But what we're seeing, over and over and over again, is flagrant fraud perpetuated by government employees who make better than a decent wage.

The kicker to this too is that MD is a relatively well off state with good schools and good funding, and beautiful large houses on lots of land. If that's what you want, great, live in MD. But don't defraud the DC government while you're also earning a good salary from DC.

[Anonymous]

There’s no reason DC couldn’t adopt the residency rules that other states use that require a child to be primarily domiciled in the jurisdiction in order to attend school there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a co-worker who did not think twice at enrolling his DS at a HRC Middle School. He was divorced. Wife had custody. He lived in DC. Wife lived in MD.

Just b/c Dad lives in DC does not make you a resident.

Agree. But better than neither parent in DC.

+1

I think OSSE should require certified tax returns for all. For divorced parents or parents who were never married, they should require a certified copy of the custody agreement so residency can be properly determined.

The DC Code does not go this far. Any parent or guardian who lives in DC can enroll their child in a DC public school, regardless of custody agreements.

Let's have OSSE enforce the rules on the books before we try to create new ones. https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/sections/38-308.html

I just read the relevant sections of the DC Code - it's so loosy-goosy as to what DC residents can use to establish residency (https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/sections/38-309.html) or attest to being the primary caregiver of the child (https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/sections/38-310.html). The residency proof can easily be gamed by using a relative's address. The standard of proof to be a "primary caregiver"? A sworn oath under penalty of perjury.

The DC Code needs to change, as it's impossible to adequately enforce the current provisions in the Code. It's insane that lawmakers wrote a law that's so obviously easy to evade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no reason DC couldn’t adopt the residency rules that other states use that require a child to be primarily domiciled in the jurisdiction in order to attend school there.

Because then they'd have to admit that despite everything the population of DC children has not grown, except in the pre-k arena early years. In my street in DC due to gentrification all the families have moved out and single people have moved in, the section 8 apartment buildings are now condos and there are only a handful of children on my street and they are toddlers.