Reply to We own in DC and VA, ok to go to school in DC?

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "We own in DC and VA, ok to go to school in DC?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I would not give up so easily.  I've heard of a families in which one spouse sublet a room and lived there during the work week to establish in-boundary status for a desirable DCPS elementary school.

I recommend that you first apply to the charter using the address of your DC property.  You will not have to establish DC residency until you are admitted, which could take months if you are wait-listed.  If you are offered a spot, you will then have to decide if the school is worth having to establish DC residency.  If, for example, your tenants move out in the next few months, you could move your family in over the summer to establish DC residency.

I know families that own homes in different states -- one in a desirable vacation spot -- and maintain the vacation home as their primary residence despite spending many more days per year at the other home.  Residency is not a simple concept .  My understanding is that once you have established residency in a state, if you move to another state but intend eventually to return to the first, your state of residency does not change.  For example, college students can opt to maintain residency in their home states for years while they attend school.  In fact, many states make it difficult for college students to benefit from the in-state tuition that a change in residency would entitle them to.

Once you've established DC residency and secured a spot at the charter school, you will then have to decide if the benefits of being a VA resident outweigh the non-resident tuition you would need to pay to attend the charter.  From the charter law:

[quote]Nonresident student. -- The term “nonresident student” means:

(A) An individual under the age of 18 who is enrolled in a District of Columbia public school or a public charter school, and does not have a parent, guardian, custodian, or primary care giver, as determined pursuant to Chapter 3 of this title, residing in the District of Columbia; or

(B) An individual who is age 18 or older and is enrolled in a District of Columbia public school or public charter school, and does not reside in the District of Columbia.

and

(e) Nonresident students. -- Nonresident students shall pay tuition to attend a public charter school at the applicable rate established for District of Columbia public schools administered by the Board of Education for the type of program in which the student is enrolled.[/quote]

One issue you would want to resolve is whether your child might lose his or her spot at the charter to an enrolling DC resident in subsequent years if you move back to VA.  That is, does a returning student who was once a DC resident and who is now a non-resident whose family pays non-resident tuition get to keep his or her spot even if a DC resident applies for the same spot.  The charter law suggests that non-residents might get to keep their spots:

[quote](a) Open enrollment. -- Enrollment in a public charter school shall be open to all students who are residents of the District of Columbia and, if space is available, to nonresident students who meet the tuition requirement in subsection (e) of this section.

(b) Criteria for admission. -- A public charter school may not limit enrollment on the basis of a student's race, color, religion, national origin, language spoken, intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or status as a student with special needs. A public charter school may limit enrollment to specific grade levels.

(c) Random selection. -- If there are more applications to enroll in a public charter school from students who are residents of the District of Columbia than there are spaces available, students shall be admitted using a random selection process, except that a preference in admission may be given to an applicant who is a sibling of a student already attending or selected for admission to the public charter school in which the applicant is seeking enrollment, or an applicant who is a child of a member of the public charter school's founding board, so long as enrollment of founders' children is limited to no more than 10% of the school's total enrollment or to 20 students, whichever is less.
[/quote]

The law does not define the term "enrollment".  Note, though, that paragraph (c) does not authorize charters to grant a preference in admission to returning students.  So, returning students must not be "enrolling" under the law.  Otherwise, paragraph (c) would apply to returning students and they would have to enter the lottery each year, which they do not have to do at any DC charter school.  Consequently, paragraph (a) probably does not apply to returning students either.  That is, a charter school does not have to boot returning non-resident students to make space for residents who are applying to the school for the first time.  Of course, you would want to confirm this policy with the charter school.

[/quote]

This is complete bullshit, and is indicative of what is wrong with so many people in this country.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics