WaPo takes deep dive into DCPS residency fraud

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How sad that there aren't enough talented students in DC to fill up this school. So many DCPS high schools have enrollments the size of smaller elementary schools in other jurisdictions.

This must be a sad joke

[Anonymous]

In big picture terms, I wonder how much residency fraud impacts enrollment. To gain access as a non-resident requires some degree of fraud but there's a range of methods. Some use family, friends or non-residential addresses while some falsely claim housing instability. For the latter, does this possibly overstate the issue of student homelessness in the schools, thus impacting DC residents' decision making on if and where to enroll (DCPS or DCPCS)?

Not to minimize the difficulties for actual DC resident families struggling with housing instability, but such fraud would also impact the at-risk students who depend on every dollar allocated to the schools for support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to know how they did this investigation of the entire student body, and why they can't replicate it at other schools. I expect that Ellington's fraud is larger than other schools, due to its history and specialty, but doing the full scrub at a few other schools would either shine a light on the problem or put the questions to bed.

+1 ; however - I've asked this before and will ask again; if OSSE has run this Audit yearly, and never found similar findings until the AG got involved, how can we trust them to do a deeper clean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They will NEVER kick these kids out. I would be completely shocked if they did. The kids will stay pending further investigations that will go on for years. I just think this is the way Ellington has been since it was founded. Heck Dave Chapelke talks about living in Silver Spring and attending Ellington in his comedy routines!

There are paying students at Duke Ellington; next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to know how they did this investigation of the entire student body, and why they can't replicate it at other schools. I expect that Ellington's fraud is larger than other schools, due to its history and specialty, but doing the full scrub at a few other schools would either shine a light on the problem or put the questions to bed.

+1 ; however - I've asked this before and will ask again; if OSSE has run this Audit yearly, and never found similar findings until the AG got involved, how can we trust them to do a deeper clean?

All cases that the AG pursues started with OSSE.

As for why more this year, until fall 2017 OSSE only checked 10% of records at each school. And they didn't have the authorization to expand the search to 100% when they found issues.

[Anonymous]

What feckless and useless response has Brandon Todd given to this news?

[Anonymous]

What is the cost of tuition anyway?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How sad that there aren't enough talented students in DC to fill up this school. So many DCPS high schools have enrollments the size of smaller elementary schools in other jurisdictions.

Let in every DC kid who wants to attend until the school is full or you run out of DC residents. Any excess capacity can be filled by out of District residents who audition. It’s DC public school. Virginia and Maryland can build their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How sad that there aren't enough talented students in DC to fill up this school. So many DCPS high schools have enrollments the size of smaller elementary schools in other jurisdictions.

Let in every DC kid who wants to attend until the school is full or you run out of DC residents. Any excess capacity can be filled by out of District residents who audition. It’s DC public school. Virginia and Maryland can build their own.

Or find a smaller building or share the one you have.

[Anonymous]

List of the other schools where the 111 cases of fraud were found (schools outside DC are private schools where DC places special-ed students):

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/994995297658040320

[Anonymous]

DCPS really needs to require certified 1040's, letter from TANF or something. Skip the utility bill, driver's license route.

[Anonymous]

Bowser comments on KoJo today (via WaPo) https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/renowned-dc-high-school-plagued-by-enrollment-fraud-investigation-finds/2018/05/11/9da60570-5499-11e8-a551-5b648abe29ef_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_campaign=wpdc&utm_content=bufferd8aef&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=.83755b5cb331&wprss=rss_Copy (2) of local-arlington-social

..."In a radio interview Friday on the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU-88.5(FM), Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) suggested the problems at Ellington did not reflect broader issues in the school system. She said Ellington is 'a complete outlier' because of the scope of its residency fraud.

Bowser said that non-resident students whose families were found to have enrolled them illegally would not be allowed to return to the school for the next two years. After that, if they want to re-enroll, they would have to pay tuition.

'It’s going to be corrected immediately,' she said. 'We will finish out this school year and we will work with the attorney general on the disposition of those files.'

The findings threaten a large segment of the school’s families with expensive litigation and potentially substantial fines. ..."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:List of the other schools where the 111 cases of fraud were found (schools outside DC are private schools where DC places special-ed students):

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/994995297658040320

Wow... Brent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:List of the other schools where the 111 cases of fraud were found (schools outside DC are private schools where DC places special-ed students):

https://twitter.com/maustermuhle/status/994995297658040320

Wow... Brent.

Not surprising.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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).

Renting an apartment or room in the District should not be a problem here. If the child physically resides in a DC rental during the week but a parent also has a non-DC house, then that child should get DC in-state tuition. There are a lot of scenarios - for example, separated parents - where this makes sense for the child. That's why the actual metric DC uses to assess a student's residency status is the physical residence of the child, not what is legally designated to be the primary residence of the parent.