WaPo takes deep dive into DCPS residency fraud

[Anonymous]

Not all of them. But for early childhood / elementary DCPS is certainly the same, and in fact better. There is no PK3 or PK4 at all in Prince George's; if you're in a Title 1 DC school before and aftercare is also free. If you live in Prince George's and work in DC and go to a school along your commute it's also pretty convenient.



If you are at a Title 1 DC it is very likely there is NO before care and there is a gaint wait list for After care. And if you are not on TANF you probably won't get one of the spots anyway. So, MANY families have to pay for PrK before and after care through another provider or nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not all of them. But for early childhood / elementary DCPS is certainly the same, and in fact better. There is no PK3 or PK4 at all in Prince George's; if you're in a Title 1 DC school before and aftercare is also free. If you live in Prince George's and work in DC and go to a school along your commute it's also pretty convenient.



If you are at a Title 1 DC it is very likely there is NO before care and there is a gaint wait list for After care. And if you are not on TANF you probably won't get one of the spots anyway. So, MANY families have to pay for PrK before and after care through another provider or nanny.



Still cheaper than full time care and more convenient to city jobs.

[Anonymous]

I just started working at a PG school (part time therapist) and the school most definitely has PK 4, before/after care, free lunch & breakfast for everyone, special ed, reading intervention, ESOL, you name it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a DC resident with multiple children in DCPS. The vitriol on this thread is disturbing. The lack of empathy for the non-resident children who are enrolled by their parents through no fault of their own, and the consequences for these children of publicly shaming their parents. The demonization of non-resident parents, who, with regard to PG County in particular, were pushed out or priced out of DC.

I’m not suggesting that gentrifiers or white people should feel guilty, but hoping they would have some sensitivity to the complicated racial history and dynamics linking PG and DC.

Plus, the suggestion that tax returns/government benefits paperwork should be a singular means of proving residence shows serious a lack of understanding of and bias against poor communities.Too bad the energy isn’t channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC instead of advocating for a witch hunt.

That doesn't give people (including poor people) the right to disobey the law

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just started working at a PG school (part time therapist) and the school most definitely has PK 4, before/after care, free lunch & breakfast for everyone, special ed, reading intervention, ESOL, you name it.

PK 4 for all? Or just some kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a DC resident with multiple children in DCPS. The vitriol on this thread is disturbing. The lack of empathy for the non-resident children who are enrolled by their parents through no fault of their own, and the consequences for these children of publicly shaming their parents. The demonization of non-resident parents, who, with regard to PG County in particular, were pushed out or priced out of DC.

I’m not suggesting that gentrifiers or white people should feel guilty, but hoping they would have some sensitivity to the complicated racial history and dynamics linking PG and DC.

Plus, the suggestion that tax returns/government benefits paperwork should be a singular means of proving residence shows serious a lack of understanding of and bias against poor communities.Too bad the energy isn’t channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC instead of advocating for a witch hunt.

Oh, stuff it. The earnest concern and dismay of your post is ridiculous. Where is your empathy for the "underserved families in DC" who are materially and adversely impacted by residency fraud? Every non-resident child who is educated in DC (and who doesn't pay tuition) is diverting resources from DC children. And your lamentations could just as easily be "channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC."

It is not the job of DCPS to provide a remedy or soft landing spot for every one of society's ills. We already (and appropriately!) ask schools to feed DC students, provide them counseling services, act as surrogate parents to DC kids. And we should do that! We should not take on that responsibility for Maryland kids as well. This is another in a long live of instances where DC becomes the primary social services provider in the region, at tremendous cost to city residents. If it's important to offer free Preschool and pre-K, the suburban jurisdictions should offer their own programs. Yes, I have empathy for the poor housekeeper who needs to bring her kids into DC to preschool. I have none for the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent who brings her grandkids in, or other DCPS/OSSE employees who knowingly facilitate residency fraud. But make no mistake, it's all fraud, and it should be investigated and terminated. Fine, don't sue the housekeeper for tuition; definitely sue (and fire) each and every DCPS/OSSE employee who is responsible.

But, let me ask you - you decry the "vitriol" of this thread. What is your proposal? Do nothing? Just continue to plod along as we are, with one investigator and no motivation at all to actually enforce the rights of DC residents not to have their tax dollars misappropriated by non-residents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a DC resident with multiple children in DCPS. The vitriol on this thread is disturbing. The lack of empathy for the non-resident children who are enrolled by their parents through no fault of their own, and the consequences for these children of publicly shaming their parents. The demonization of non-resident parents, who, with regard to PG County in particular, were pushed out or priced out of DC.

I’m not suggesting that gentrifiers or white people should feel guilty, but hoping they would have some sensitivity to the complicated racial history and dynamics linking PG and DC.

Plus, the suggestion that tax returns/government benefits paperwork should be a singular means of proving residence shows serious a lack of understanding of and bias against poor communities.Too bad the energy isn’t channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC instead of advocating for a witch hunt.

Oh, stuff it. The earnest concern and dismay of your post is ridiculous. Where is your empathy for the "underserved families in DC" who are materially and adversely impacted by residency fraud? Every non-resident child who is educated in DC (and who doesn't pay tuition) is diverting resources from DC children. And your lamentations could just as easily be "channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC."

It is not the job of DCPS to provide a remedy or soft landing spot for every one of society's ills. We already (and appropriately!) ask schools to feed DC students, provide them counseling services, act as surrogate parents to DC kids. And we should do that! We should not take on that responsibility for Maryland kids as well. This is another in a long live of instances where DC becomes the primary social services provider in the region, at tremendous cost to city residents. If it's important to offer free Preschool and pre-K, the suburban jurisdictions should offer their own programs. Yes, I have empathy for the poor housekeeper who needs to bring her kids into DC to preschool. I have none for the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent who brings her grandkids in, or other DCPS/OSSE employees who knowingly facilitate residency fraud. But make no mistake, it's all fraud, and it should be investigated and terminated. Fine, don't sue the housekeeper for tuition; definitely sue (and fire) each and every DCPS/OSSE employee who is responsible.

But, let me ask you - you decry the "vitriol" of this thread. What is your proposal? Do nothing? Just continue to plod along as we are, with one investigator and no motivation at all to actually enforce the rights of DC residents not to have their tax dollars misappropriated by non-residents?

This. The vast majority of children in DC are underprivileged and their parents need pk3/pk4 and the opportunity to get their children into a good school. Residency cheaters from out of state steal that spot. And they do it so that they can have a much nicer house with a nice yard outside the city. They are criminals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if you want to claim DC TAG for your college-age child, the residency documentation process is MUCH more stringent.

And OSSE runs that process too. It is stringent because the federal government is concerned that people will fraudulently claim the $10,000 / year benefit.

It costs far more than 410,000 to educate a school-age child per year.

This is a matter of will and priorities -- not system design.

Yes! An acquaintance of mine had her son attend a DCPCS when they lived in Moco. He’d been kicked off his home school’s football team so they opted to have him attend the DCPCS and play for that team. They used his grandmother’s address. Everything went fine until he applied for DC TAG. They saw her tax returns and that was it for them. No TAG $, but he sure did finish the year at the DCPCS with no repercussions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a DC resident with multiple children in DCPS. The vitriol on this thread is disturbing. The lack of empathy for the non-resident children who are enrolled by their parents through no fault of their own, and the consequences for these children of publicly shaming their parents. The demonization of non-resident parents, who, with regard to PG County in particular, were pushed out or priced out of DC.

I’m not suggesting that gentrifiers or white people should feel guilty, but hoping they would have some sensitivity to the complicated racial history and dynamics linking PG and DC.

Plus, the suggestion that tax returns/government benefits paperwork should be a singular means of proving residence shows serious a lack of understanding of and bias against poor communities.Too bad the energy isn’t channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC instead of advocating for a witch hunt.

I am sorry they were pushed out but two wrongs don’t make a right. They are in PG County and they need to improve their schools. DC taxpayers should not be paying for out of state kids. There may be a complicated history but DC residents should be getting PreK and charter slots. Those families are free to move back into DC and pay taxes. I find your post absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if you want to claim DC TAG for your college-age child, the residency documentation process is MUCH more stringent.

And OSSE runs that process too. It is stringent because the federal government is concerned that people will fraudulently claim the $10,000 / year benefit.

It costs far more than 410,000 to educate a school-age child per year.

This is a matter of will and priorities -- not system design.

Yes! An acquaintance of mine had her son attend a DCPCS when they lived in Moco. He’d been kicked off his home school’s football team so they opted to have him attend the DCPCS and play for that team. They used his grandmother’s address. Everything went fine until he applied for DC TAG. They saw her tax returns and that was it for them. No TAG $, but he sure did finish the year at the DCPCS with no repercussions.

It can be done. But they don’t want to do it.

School enrollment should be done centrally, in one office by people who don’t have a stake in whether the a particular school is under-enrolled or not. Not at every school — like DCTAG.

[Anonymous]

I agree, but there are obvious, and large, practical limitations on how much residency verification could be done centrally,even if vast new resources were committed (and they won't be).

Parents, especially poor parents, aren't in a great position to troop to a central location with registration documents, and the central office doesn't have anywhere near the staff to send registration/residency verification teams out to every school during the one-month charter registration window. With DCPS schools, families mostly register in the spring, but new entrants can of course turn up at any time to register during the summer or school year. If registration were done on-line, documents couldn't be certified they way they are in person.

Requiring DCPS parents registering kids to bring documents to a central location year round for certification would burden at-risk DC families at the expense of kids, and a be a big pain for everybody else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a DC resident with multiple children in DCPS. The vitriol on this thread is disturbing. The lack of empathy for the non-resident children who are enrolled by their parents through no fault of their own, and the consequences for these children of publicly shaming their parents. The demonization of non-resident parents, who, with regard to PG County in particular, were pushed out or priced out of DC.

I’m not suggesting that gentrifiers or white people should feel guilty, but hoping they would have some sensitivity to the complicated racial history and dynamics linking PG and DC.

Plus, the suggestion that tax returns/government benefits paperwork should be a singular means of proving residence shows serious a lack of understanding of and bias against poor communities.Too bad the energy isn’t channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC instead of advocating for a witch hunt.

I am sorry they were pushed out but two wrongs don’t make a right. They are in PG County and they need to improve their schools. DC taxpayers should not be paying for out of state kids. There may be a complicated history but DC residents should be getting PreK and charter slots. Those families are free to move back into DC and pay taxes. I find your post absurd.

NP - I don’t find that post absurd at all. I appreciate the nuanced view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a DC resident with multiple children in DCPS. The vitriol on this thread is disturbing. The lack of empathy for the non-resident children who are enrolled by their parents through no fault of their own, and the consequences for these children of publicly shaming their parents. The demonization of non-resident parents, who, with regard to PG County in particular, were pushed out or priced out of DC.

I’m not suggesting that gentrifiers or white people should feel guilty, but hoping they would have some sensitivity to the complicated racial history and dynamics linking PG and DC.

Plus, the suggestion that tax returns/government benefits paperwork should be a singular means of proving residence shows serious a lack of understanding of and bias against poor communities.Too bad the energy isn’t channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC instead of advocating for a witch hunt.[/quote]

That doesn't give people (including poor people) the right to disobey the law

What? If you care about underserved families in DC, you would support them finding slots the school that are in high demand in DC. Those slots are now filled with kids from well off parent who live in PG country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Yeah. I am not sure why this is not a requirement. Either you are paying taxes, or receiving government benefits, or documented homeless child through social services. The only vulnerable population would be undocumented immigrants.

Who can be checked via a home visit.

There was a debate about that in previous threads. As a public policy matter, schools/society/etc. do not want the home visits to turn into an enforcement mechanism because it would undermine the goal of building relationships and encouraging trust and parental engagement among vulnerable populations. The home visits also allow for families to schedule them at parks, or coffee shops, etc. to allow flexibility, alleviate any feelings of shame regarding living situation. Also, as mandatory reporters, some homes may be so unsanitary/neglectful that may cause some issues. But as the Pps before have said, this will address 90% of the people. In past threads there was also a lot of hub-bub regarding shared custody arrangements among divorcees.

Different thing. The DC laws provide for a home visit by the registrar if no other means of verifying residency are available.

The teacher home visits are a different matter for a different purpose.

Thanks for the clarification. Perhaps there needs to be a way of giving the visits different names to avoid possible confusion and fear among certain at-risk populations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a DC resident with multiple children in DCPS. The vitriol on this thread is disturbing. The lack of empathy for the non-resident children who are enrolled by their parents through no fault of their own, and the consequences for these children of publicly shaming their parents. The demonization of non-resident parents, who, with regard to PG County in particular, were pushed out or priced out of DC.

I’m not suggesting that gentrifiers or white people should feel guilty, but hoping they would have some sensitivity to the complicated racial history and dynamics linking PG and DC.

Plus, the suggestion that tax returns/government benefits paperwork should be a singular means of proving residence shows serious a lack of understanding of and bias against poor communities.Too bad the energy isn’t channeled into legitimate advocacy for underserved families in DC instead of advocating for a witch hunt.

I am sorry they were pushed out but two wrongs don’t make a right. They are in PG County and they need to improve their schools. DC taxpayers should not be paying for out of state kids. There may be a complicated history but DC residents should be getting PreK and charter slots. Those families are free to move back into DC and pay taxes. I find your post absurd.

NP - I don’t find that post absurd at all. I appreciate the nuanced view.

Nuanced? Try moral relativism.