Renting but not occupying for DCPS in-boundary residency purposes?

[Anonymous]

Pick one of the schools that already has a decent OOB percentage. Anyone inclined to wonder will assume you lotteried in.

[Anonymous]

Here's a concrete example of why this is not a good idea. I live in the Ross ES school zone, which is a super-highly rated school with PK3. They have home visits for pre-K kids. In the past, teachers have scheduled home visits right before the school year started, realized the parents in fact, did not live within the boundary, and the kids were not allowed to take those PK slots and I would guess, had to scramble to find a new option in August.

And also agree with other people that OP's conscience should not be "clean."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi. I'm a DC resident, but I'm paying for private school because my in-boundary school is no good and I struck out in the DCPS lottery. I'm considering renting an apartment in-boundary of a good DCPS school, which would be less expensive than what I'm paying for private school, just so we have an in-boundary address. I wouldn't move in. Maybe I would sublet, or AirBNB, if allowed, to recoup some of the rent money, or just leave it empty. Is that sort of thing kosher? It's not like would be lying about my DC residency, I pay plenty of taxes to DC, my conscience is clean.

No. Residency means you live there. DCPS can even do a home check to make sure you and your kids actually live there -- ie, eat and sleep there.

Why have you decided your "conscience is clean" before knowing the rules?

Is there a source for this? Just curious, since I've never heard this before. I know of at least one family at my kid's school who is doing this (i.e., using the address of a property they own, but which only relatives occupy currently).

They do it if there is a report of suspected boundary fraud to the principal, or if your residency documentation is incomplete or suspect.

But if they have paperwork that looks legitimate, and no one reports the family for boundary fraud, they will probably get away with it.

See something, say something. Or don't complain about it.

Does suspected boundary fraud have to be reported to the principal, or can it be reported some other way? The family I'm thinking of is extremely active at the school. I would like to assume the principal doesn't know about the boundary fraud, but I'm not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why have you decided your "conscience is clean" before knowing the rules?

My conscience is clean because I'm currently supporting the public school system through my substantial tax contributions, which is just fine by me, and I'm willing to continue doing it, but I'd like to also get some benefit from it. I do OK in terms of income, and I choose to live in an "up-and-coming" part of the city, because I don't believe in well-off people segregating themselves in their Georgetown or Kalorama islands of privilege. I want my daughter to be exposed to a richer, more diverse social environment than she currently gets at her $4K/month private school, but I'm not willing to sacrifice the quality of her education. If I can spend $1,500 on rent instead, and send her to a good public school that I'm already paying for, I won't feel an ounce of guilt about it.

Why do the rules of civil society matter when you have you and your wants to indulge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a concrete example of why this is not a good idea. I live in the Ross ES school zone, which is a super-highly rated school with PK3. They have home visits for pre-K kids. In the past, teachers have scheduled home visits right before the school year started, realized the parents in fact, did not live within the boundary, and the kids were not allowed to take those PK slots and I would guess, had to scramble to find a new option in August.

And also agree with other people that OP's conscience should not be "clean."

Home visits are optional, and if OP's kid is already in a $4K / month private the child is past the age where home visits occur anyway.

But yeah, she shouldn't do what she describes.

But there is a legal way to achieve the same thing. Rent IB for the school you wish to attend with the $4K tuition money and live in that place for at least one year (has to be K or above). Rent out your bigger home across town. After you've completed a year at the 'good' school, move back to your house across town.

That is TOTALLY legal, and DCPS will let you stay in the school through the end of the feeder pattern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does suspected boundary fraud have to be reported to the principal, or can it be reported some other way? The family I'm thinking of is extremely active at the school. I would like to assume the principal doesn't know about the boundary fraud, but I'm not sure.

The principal is the person with the responsibility. Remember though that if the family used to live IB for the school they attend, and the child is K or above, they can move OOB and stay put.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does suspected boundary fraud have to be reported to the principal, or can it be reported some other way? The family I'm thinking of is extremely active at the school. I would like to assume the principal doesn't know about the boundary fraud, but I'm not sure.

The principal is the person with the responsibility. Remember though that if the family used to live IB for the school they attend, and the child is K or above, they can move OOB and stay put.

PP here. They've never lived IB. Just a relative lives there.

[Anonymous]

Make your house into Airbnb and rent a 2-bedroom IB to NWDC school. After couple of years here, they might let you stay in school and you can move back into your house.
Really happy with the education in our DCPS - not moving to VA any time soon or paying for private.
We moved few blocks but were allowed to stay in school.
DC doesn't sleep at my place most of the week.
Nobody has ever questioned DC's residency.
That said, you are going to get caught unless you move IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a concrete example of why this is not a good idea. I live in the Ross ES school zone, which is a super-highly rated school with PK3. They have home visits for pre-K kids. In the past, teachers have scheduled home visits right before the school year started, realized the parents in fact, did not live within the boundary, and the kids were not allowed to take those PK slots and I would guess, had to scramble to find a new option in August.

And also agree with other people that OP's conscience should not be "clean."

Home visits are optional, and if OP's kid is already in a $4K / month private the child is past the age where home visits occur anyway.

But yeah, she shouldn't do what she describes.

But there is a legal way to achieve the same thing. Rent IB for the school you wish to attend with the $4K tuition money and live in that place for at least one year (has to be K or above). Rent out your bigger home across town. After you've completed a year at the 'good' school, move back to your house across town.

That is TOTALLY legal, and DCPS will let you stay in the school through the end of the feeder pattern.

This is how the handbook was recently re-written (probably by some person whose child is about to enroll), but this practice and the handbook violate the regulations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Does suspected boundary fraud have to be reported to the principal, or can it be reported some other way? The family I'm thinking of is extremely active at the school. I would like to assume the principal doesn't know about the boundary fraud, but I'm not sure.

The principal is the person with the responsibility. Remember though that if the family used to live IB for the school they attend, and the child is K or above, they can move OOB and stay put.

PP here. They've never lived IB. Just a relative lives there.

You need to report them if this bothers you. There's no reason the principal would know about the boundary fraud unless she/he visits this family at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a concrete example of why this is not a good idea. I live in the Ross ES school zone, which is a super-highly rated school with PK3. They have home visits for pre-K kids. In the past, teachers have scheduled home visits right before the school year started, realized the parents in fact, did not live within the boundary, and the kids were not allowed to take those PK slots and I would guess, had to scramble to find a new option in August.

And also agree with other people that OP's conscience should not be "clean."

This is 100% urban myth. We opted out of our home visit and still attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're going to do it, I wouldn't worry about your conscience, I'd worry about the possibility of an investigation with a home visit by your school's registrar. With OSSE cracking down, if you come under investigation, you're going to need to produce a stack of residency documents at a few days notice (including certified tax returns) and possibly to clear a home visit by your school's registrar. They're going to want to see your kid(s) stuff in the place, and a bed for the child(ren). If you're on top of things, you'll manage. If can produce the docs, and the apartment has some of your kids stuff in it, family pictures etc., DCPS will be satisfied. Takes work.

It takes a criminal mind to go to this effort to cheat at the expense of other taxpayers

This is why Janney, Murch, Lafayette, Deal, and Wilson are far more crowded than their census boundary projections. A one bedroom apartment will not project a 3-child yield, but that's what you might get thanks to system-gamers. As a result, the city is confused by the overcrowding because it doesn't match the zoned/building projection. Then the family that bought a SFH on the edge of the crowded boundary finds itself redistricted to a different school due to crowding, thanks to the family that lives across town and uses the address of a studio apartment to enroll their 4 children and the classrooms are crowded because more than the projected number of IB students enroll. Ditto for families using someone else's address.

You are cheating another taxpayer out of the school they believed they invested in, and you are cheating your child's classmates out of a reasonably sized class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a concrete example of why this is not a good idea. I live in the Ross ES school zone, which is a super-highly rated school with PK3. They have home visits for pre-K kids. In the past, teachers have scheduled home visits right before the school year started, realized the parents in fact, did not live within the boundary, and the kids were not allowed to take those PK slots and I would guess, had to scramble to find a new option in August.

And also agree with other people that OP's conscience should not be "clean."

This is 100% urban myth. We opted out of our home visit and still attend.

So how many people do you think are cheating like you? Is is a lot?

Is it possible that all of the money and time being spent trying to solve the overcrowding issues in Ward 3 are actually not needed and simple enforcement of living in boundary will solve the problem?

[Anonymous]

You might get away with cheating the system, but you would be depriving your child of a normal social life. Do you really want to have your daughter lie to friends about where she lives and avoid inviting kids over for playdates?

I would move IB for a year, get involved in the school, and then ask the principal if you can move back to your house while still staying in the school. Sneaking around and being dishonest sounds stressful for everyone involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a concrete example of why this is not a good idea. I live in the Ross ES school zone, which is a super-highly rated school with PK3. They have home visits for pre-K kids. In the past, teachers have scheduled home visits right before the school year started, realized the parents in fact, did not live within the boundary, and the kids were not allowed to take those PK slots and I would guess, had to scramble to find a new option in August.

And also agree with other people that OP's conscience should not be "clean."

Home visits are optional, and if OP's kid is already in a $4K / month private the child is past the age where home visits occur anyway.

But yeah, she shouldn't do what she describes.

But there is a legal way to achieve the same thing. Rent IB for the school you wish to attend with the $4K tuition money and live in that place for at least one year (has to be K or above). Rent out your bigger home across town. After you've completed a year at the 'good' school, move back to your house across town.

That is TOTALLY legal, and DCPS will let you stay in the school through the end of the feeder pattern.

This is how the handbook was recently re-written (probably by some person whose child is about to enroll), but this practice and the handbook violate the regulations.

What regulations? Do you have a citation? The only regulations I am aware of related to state (district) residency. The boundary review process made recommendations to curb principal discretion but they weren't binding.

DCPS can handle its boundary policies however it wants; previously it was up to principal's to decide if a family that moved OOB but stayed in the district could continue. DCPS central has removed the discretion and made it uniform by saying students, past K, can stay.