Creative boundary solutions

[Anonymous]

Just from chatter at the local park, it seems lots of people are doing "creative" strategies for establishing in-boundary status to the highly sought after elementary school near us. Just a couple examples: a kid from my son's preschool had moved into a house OOB a couple years ago but *somehow* got into PK at this school even though 10 in-bound kids are still on the lottery. Another family we know through friends kept their old 1 bedroom in bounds, and bought a larger place out of bounds where they actually sleep. Another woman at the park proudly proclaimed they got into PK from out of bounds - an impossibility.

All the moralizers can keep off this thread - those who think these arrangement are by their nature immoral. Because i've read all the DC statutes and regs on this subject, "residence" isn't defined, and some of these types of creative strategies may technically satisfy the requirements for "residency". I think at worst, if brought to the school's attention, it could result in a protracted regulatory battle which the parents would ultimately win. So let's assume that these creative strategies will not result in the people being kicked out of the school. That said, i'm not sure they are the kinds of arrangements you want to bring to people's attention.

From talking to people, i'm guessing there are a TON of people in good schools in DC using equally creative strategies. Lots of people who use this site.

So honest question to those people (or who are friends with those people): How much do your friends, classmates and their parents know about these strategies? How do you respond to people's questions about where you live? What about playdates? How much "looking down" is there at keeping, say, an unoccupied 1-bedroom apartment in bounds? Are people doing it so frequently that it's not that big a deal? Or does everyone still play very hush-hush about it? Remember - we aren't talking here about outright residency fraud: fake addresses, borrowing a friend's address, renting a place for a month to get a lease. We are talking about situations that are passable but not sure how much you want to bring to others' attention. I'm asking because we don't want to move out of our house but are open to doing something like this in a year when son is PK-3 eligible.

Again - moralizers keep off this thread. I'm just looking for real anecdotal info.

[Anonymous]

Honest Q: if you're can afford to maintain an actual residence and a pied-a-terre (in a pretty nice neighborhood, apparently) in the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA in 2015, why don't you just live in-bounds to whatever school you want to go to?

[Anonymous]

So you want to learn how to game the system. You can try, but if caught, your kids will be thrown out.

[Anonymous]

Be careful trying to game the system. Our charter asked for fresh residency documents *right before* count day. No way to fake a lease or change a utility bill in time and a handful of non-DC residents were rooted out that way. I wish all schools did random checks like that.

[Anonymous]

I would report anyone who did this unless I felt they had a very good reason. Even if it might be legal. So it's probably best to keep quiet about it.

The problem with doing this is that you may be thrown out at any moment if the definition of residency is clarified. Then you'll be left in the lurch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just from chatter at the local park, it seems lots of people are doing "creative" strategies for establishing in-boundary status to the highly sought after elementary school near us. Just a couple examples: a kid from my son's preschool had moved into a house OOB a couple years ago but *somehow* got into PK at this school even though 10 in-bound kids are still on the lottery. Another family we know through friends kept their old 1 bedroom in bounds, and bought a larger place out of bounds where they actually sleep. Another woman at the park proudly proclaimed they got into PK from out of bounds - an impossibility.

All the moralizers can keep off this thread - those who think these arrangement are by their nature immoral. Because i've read all the DC statutes and regs on this subject, "residence" isn't defined, and some of these types of creative strategies may technically satisfy the requirements for "residency". I think at worst, if brought to the school's attention, it could result in a protracted regulatory battle which the parents would ultimately win. So let's assume that these creative strategies will not result in the people being kicked out of the school. That said, i'm not sure they are the kinds of arrangements you want to bring to people's attention.

From talking to people, i'm guessing there are a TON of people in good schools in DC using equally creative strategies. Lots of people who use this site.

So honest question to those people (or who are friends with those people): How much do your friends, classmates and their parents know about these strategies? How do you respond to people's questions about where you live? What about playdates? How much "looking down" is there at keeping, say, an unoccupied 1-bedroom apartment in bounds? Are people doing it so frequently that it's not that big a deal? Or does everyone still play very hush-hush about it? Remember - we aren't talking here about outright residency fraud: fake addresses, borrowing a friend's address, renting a place for a month to get a lease. We are talking about situations that are passable but not sure how much you want to bring to others' attention. I'm asking because we don't want to move out of our house but are open to doing something like this in a year when son is PK-3 eligible.

Again - moralizers keep off this thread. I'm just looking for real anecdotal info.

Teaching your children rules don't apply to us-priceless.

Are you religious? I am just curious which church, temple or mosque I can go to where cheating is accepted maybe even encouraged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just from chatter at the local park, it seems lots of people are doing "creative" strategies for establishing in-boundary status to the highly sought after elementary school near us. Just a couple examples: a kid from my son's preschool had moved into a house OOB a couple years ago but *somehow* got into PK at this school even though 10 in-bound kids are still on the lottery. Another family we know through friends kept their old 1 bedroom in bounds, and bought a larger place out of bounds where they actually sleep. Another woman at the park proudly proclaimed they got into PK from out of bounds - an impossibility.

All the moralizers can keep off this thread - those who think these arrangement are by their nature immoral. Because i've read all the DC statutes and regs on this subject, "residence" isn't defined, and some of these types of creative strategies may technically satisfy the requirements for "residency". I think at worst, if brought to the school's attention, it could result in a protracted regulatory battle which the parents would ultimately win. So let's assume that these creative strategies will not result in the people being kicked out of the school. That said, i'm not sure they are the kinds of arrangements you want to bring to people's attention.

From talking to people, i'm guessing there are a TON of people in good schools in DC using equally creative strategies. Lots of people who use this site.

So honest question to those people (or who are friends with those people): How much do your friends, classmates and their parents know about these strategies? How do you respond to people's questions about where you live? What about playdates? How much "looking down" is there at keeping, say, an unoccupied 1-bedroom apartment in bounds? Are people doing it so frequently that it's not that big a deal? Or does everyone still play very hush-hush about it? Remember - we aren't talking here about outright residency fraud: fake addresses, borrowing a friend's address, renting a place for a month to get a lease. We are talking about situations that are passable but not sure how much you want to bring to others' attention. I'm asking because we don't want to move out of our house but are open to doing something like this in a year when son is PK-3 eligible.

Again - moralizers keep off this thread. I'm just looking for real anecdotal info.

Let's be real, no one is keeping an UNOCCUPIED apartment for residency fraud, they rent it out and still use the address.

Have you confronted them or were you too busy taking notes?

[Anonymous]

I can speak from experience that there is gossip against families who do this. The family in question that I know of (and there kids are HS aged in a private school now) was the type to not really care.

[Anonymous]

Keeping an empty apartment in zone so you can live in a big house out of zone is residency fraud by any definition, not "creative." I would judge that much more harshly than a poor family that used grandma's address. I probably would not be friends with such people although I don't know if I would report them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Be careful trying to game the system. Our charter asked for fresh residency documents *right before* count day. No way to fake a lease or change a utility bill in time and a handful of non-DC residents were rooted out that way. I wish all schools did random checks like that.

Charter and DCPS are apples and oranges in this regard. The cheats you're talking about don't live in the District this they are out right stealing from a jurisdiction where they pay no taxes (save any sales taxes on stuff they might buy here. OP is likely talking about DCPS and families who still do live in the District and pay their taxes but don't sleep in a residence that is inbounds for the school their children attend.

[Anonymous]

Please stop replying to this thread. Pretty please. The premise was an inane troll post.

[Anonymous]

Cost of living is a lot more even these days. Costs about same to live in Petworth and Brookland than WOTP especially if you consider the additional cost of an empty apartment. I don't get it.

[Anonymous]

People I know don't blink think twice saying - if lottery does not work out we will use y parent's address which is IB for Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cost of living is a lot more even these days. Costs about same to live in Petworth and Brookland than WOTP especially if you consider the additional cost of an empty apartment. I don't get it.

Because it's a BS premise devised by a troll!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People I know don't blink think twice saying - if lottery does not work out we will use y parent's address which is IB for Deal.

Yep. I considered this for half a minute and then decided i didn't want my kids to be part of a lie.

And as a PP above said, folks aren't keeping vacant apartments but buy (or keep) something to rent out. They believe that because they are paying taxes they aren't cheating.