WaPo takes deep dive into DCPS residency fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, nothing will change. DCPS is glad to have bodies in the classroom especially east of the river and certain neighborhoods. I know there are MPD and other personnel who live in VA/MD but send their children to the non highly coveted DCPS and charter schools. These new revelations are not new, its just that one is not expected to get caught. It's all surface level. DC does not care and has not cared. The only outraged people are those who spent a fortune to be in a JKLM or highly desired charter school. My grandmother paid $15,000 for her house off of 16th street and Military road. She cannot believe people are spending upwards of $1 million dollars to live in the District where they cannot legally own the land the house sits on. Grandma believes that the house she bought is nice and spacious but not worth anything more than $200,000. The houses bubble will soon burst along with the DC residency fraud schemes or people will live like packed rats in homes because they cannot afford to purchase a home along with student debt.

Well, if Grandma says it, it must be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a residency cheater. Thank goodness we got away with it before it all came to light. I hate to say it but at the time I needed it and school started later in the suburbs. DCPS teachers should be allowed to have their children in the free pre-k even if they live outside of the city. I would disagree with DC gov employees. DCPS does need to increase their pool of talented teachers and ones who are veterans. If I were a District resident I would be fine with TFA and other short cohort programs for younger grades but as your child gets older you need and want veteran teachers

Schools have beforecare for exactly this reason.

She meant for 3 yo's vs 5 yos, not early in the am.

...then you PAY for daycare, which is what PP should have been doing anyway because she was not contributing taxes to universal preK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a residency cheater. Thank goodness we got away with it before it all came to light. I hate to say it but at the time I needed it and school started later in the suburbs. DCPS teachers should be allowed to have their children in the free pre-k even if they live outside of the city. I would disagree with DC gov employees. DCPS does need to increase their pool of talented teachers and ones who are veterans. If I were a District resident I would be fine with TFA and other short cohort programs for younger grades but as your child gets older you need and want veteran teachers

Um, no.

Listen, I think DC teacher RESIDENTS should have a preference category in the lottery but the above is just dumb. DC residents are PAYING for prek through taxes. You, living out of state, do not pay DC taxes, right? So no no no.

Don't charter employees receive preference for their children at schools where the teach regardless of residency? I thought it was a perk to make up for the low salary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a residency cheater. Thank goodness we got away with it before it all came to light. I hate to say it but at the time I needed it and school started later in the suburbs. DCPS teachers should be allowed to have their children in the free pre-k even if they live outside of the city. I would disagree with DC gov employees. DCPS does need to increase their pool of talented teachers and ones who are veterans. If I were a District resident I would be fine with TFA and other short cohort programs for younger grades but as your child gets older you need and want veteran teachers

Um, no.

Listen, I think DC teacher RESIDENTS should have a preference category in the lottery but the above is just dumb. DC residents are PAYING for prek through taxes. You, living out of state, do not pay DC taxes, right? So no no no.

Don't charter employees receive preference for their children at schools where the teach regardless of residency? I thought it was a perk to make up for the low salary?

No- they have to be DC residents to get that preference.

[Anonymous]

http://www.teamlaw.org/land.htm

The foundation of this nation was real property ownership. That’s why the settlers came here. To insure private ownership of land, the nation’s founding fathers made it unlawful for government to own land except for the ten square miles of Washington D.C., and such as may be needed for erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings. (The Constitution)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.teamlaw.org/land.htm

The foundation of this nation was real property ownership. That’s why the settlers came here. To insure private ownership of land, the nation’s founding fathers made it unlawful for government to own land except for the ten square miles of Washington D.C., and such as may be needed for erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings. (The Constitution)

What does this have to do with anything?

[Anonymous]

In Chicago, city employees (including teachers) are required to live in the city. Developing more affordable housing options in the district, or really even teacher enclaves so people can afford to live in the city, and send their kids to school where they want to, seems like a way to make this work.

Sorry, no love for people who cheat, lie and otherwise defraud the system. I took this all into account when we were buying a house and realized we might have to give up a year of free Pre-K 4 if we left the city.

[Anonymous]

I’m confused how people falsify records. You need two forms to prove residency, unless you have a pay stub. It’s not that easy to do. Practically, how do people falsify these forms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused how people falsify records. You need two forms to prove residency, unless you have a pay stub. It’s not that easy to do. Practically, how do people falsify these forms?

Depends on your job. I could go into my self-service ADP portal at work and change my address now, and leave it that way for the next 6-8 weeks for enrollment, and then change it back.

The article listed other scenarios -- renting an apartment or room in District; claiming your child lives at the address of a friend or relative (have your name on their utility bill).

[Anonymous]

Easily done if you have reliable help from "the inside." MD cheaters commonly use a relative's or friend's DC address to enroll. The helpful relative will commonly switch one or more utilities bills into the name of one of the parents - no great challenge there. Relatives will also save or forward DCPS or DCPC mail so the parents get it.

It's generally easy to change an address on a paystub/W2 these days - the Federal government lets you do it online.

Presto, you have all your enrollment docs ready to go after around an hour's work. The document bar is obviously set much too low. You only have to collect/submit certified tax returns, car registration, a driver's license etc. linking you to a DC address if you're investigated. Parents seldom are. Failing schools need bodies in the seats to pay the bills and salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused how people falsify records. You need two forms to prove residency, unless you have a pay stub. It’s not that easy to do. Practically, how do people falsify these forms?

One thing people do all the time is falsify guardianship. Write a letter to grandma that you’re between jobs and child needs to live with her (in DC) for a while. Easy to do even if it’s not true. Residency fraud investigators could check tax records to see if the parent is gainfully employed but in the case I know of they didn’t take that step and took the letter at face value.

[Anonymous]

Last year OSSE piloted a program to verify enrollment via your income tax forms filed Office of Tax and Revenue records or alternatively with city records documenting receipt of some form of public assistance (TANF or SNAP).

For 2018-19 anyone who is enrolling in school can opt to have their residency verified this way.

I truly think this is the only way to fix this, and needs to become mandatory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My old neighbor bypassed the lottery and called in a favor so her dc could go to Murch. She painted it as a benefit given to city employees. Lol!

Did you report this person? If not, you should. Or give me their name and I will.

[Anonymous]

I really think dc needs to do an address audit. So many kids in our school cheat with family member addresses.

[Anonymous]

Do people mostly think this is a PG county issue? Mostly because there are cultural linkages between inner-ring suburbs and DC proper?