Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If everyone who claims they see MD plates actually reported them, maybe it would be addressed.

DCPS won't investigate for license plates. Doesn't make it any less frustrating to see lines of MD cars in front of your school. If half of those cars are for legit reasons, it still means an awful lot of people ripping me off as a taxpayer.

Maybe call washpo and ask them to investigate?

But what hobby will OP take up then?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If everyone who claims they see MD plates actually reported them, maybe it would be addressed.

DCPS won't investigate for license plates. Doesn't make it any less frustrating to see lines of MD cars in front of your school. If half of those cars are for legit reasons, it still means an awful lot of people ripping me off as a taxpayer.

Maybe call washpo and ask them to investigate?

Anonymous wrote:Are there concrete rules to ensure DC residents get preference before opening up to MD residents?

What are these "rules" you speak of? This is Ellington. They answer to nobody.

Are there concrete rules to ensure DC residents get preference before opening up to MD residents?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year wasn't Wilson disqualified from some football game due to residency fraud?

Everyone knows where the football players at Friendship Charter really live.

If you were to ask teachers at Duke Ellington if they knew of children from Maryland at school they would say yes.

Ellington is a bit of a special case because it specifically admits "tuition-paying" students. While there may also be residency cheaters at Ellington there are a significant number who openly register from outside the District, there are more kids registered from Maryland at Ellington than from any ward in DC other than Ward 5.

I put "tuition-paying" in quotes though because DCPS has historically had quite a bit of trouble actually collecting tuition from students. At the last audit the number of kids in the entire DCPS system who actually paid their tuition was lower than the number of "tuition-paying" kids at Ellington. Residency fraud gets replaced by tuition fraud I guess.

If "Ward 9" (aka Maryland) makes up the largest number of kids openly registered at DE after Ward 5, why is it that DE takes MD kids when there are DC kids who apply and can't get in?

Sometimes the tuition paying kids from Maryland play instruments that they need for the orchestra or they are just really talented in one of the arts. If they don't have enough oboe players etc. trying out then they get MD tuition paying kids. I know a family that paid 10th through 12th grade tuition for such a case. I know they definitely paid.

Anonymous wrote:If everyone who claims they see MD plates actually reported them, maybe it would be addressed.

DCPS won't investigate for license plates. Doesn't make it any less frustrating to see lines of MD cars in front of your school. If half of those cars are for legit reasons, it still means an awful lot of people ripping me off as a taxpayer.

It definitely exists. I know several families of which one or both of the parents grew up in the District. Their parents still live in the District, and that is the address they use to send their children to DCPS. The children's parents work in the District and find it more convenient.

If everyone who claims they see MD plates actually reported them, maybe it would be addressed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shut up. Seriously. I am a DC resident with kids at a DCPS school, and I really don't understand why people obsess over this. It is a made-up problem.

It's actually a large problem. It's a theft of money out of DC taxpayer's pockets and, even sadder, a theft of services and scarce OOB spots from DC kids who would like to attend those schools but couldn't get in through the lottery.

OK, but this is a problem in the way voter fraud is a problem: There is nothing to indicate it is widespread, or even existent. People use it to further their own agenda. In the case of voter fraud, people use that as a way to cover up their desire to keep poor people and minorities from voting.

The problem is not insignificant. People have written about how the pick up and drop off lines at some schools in the Hill area and certain charters are overwhelmingly full of MD cars. There are even MD kids at hard to get into schools in upper NW like Wilson. As was noted earlier, other iresidency fraud comes to light because of cases that get press attention for other reasons.

The analogy to voter fraud is misplaced. A better analogy might be to insurance or benefit fraud -- i.e., scheming to get someting to which a person is not legally entitled (in this case by residency in another state).

I have no problem stating my desire to keep non-tuition paying out-of-state persons -- of whatever socioeconomic status or ethinic background -- from fraudulently taking spots in DCPS and charter schools. Fraud is fraud and theft of services is theft.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shut up. Seriously. I am a DC resident with kids at a DCPS school, and I really don't understand why people obsess over this. It is a made-up problem.

It's actually a large problem. It's a theft of money out of DC taxpayer's pockets and, even sadder, a theft of services and scarce OOB spots from DC kids who would like to attend those schools but couldn't get in through the lottery.

OK, but this is a problem in the way voter fraud is a problem: There is nothing to indicate it is widespread, or even existent. People use it to further their own agenda. In the case of voter fraud, people use that as a way to cover up their desire to keep poor people and minorities from voting.

I know there were at least three kids in my son's fifth grade class who didn't live at the address listed in the school directory. I've never had any first-hand evidence of voter fraud.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Shut up. Seriously. I am a DC resident with kids at a DCPS school, and I really don't understand why people obsess over this. It is a made-up problem.

It's actually a large problem. It's a theft of money out of DC taxpayer's pockets and, even sadder, a theft of services and scarce OOB spots from DC kids who would like to attend those schools but couldn't get in through the lottery.

OK, but this is a problem in the way voter fraud is a problem: There is nothing to indicate it is widespread, or even existent. People use it to further their own agenda. In the case of voter fraud, people use that as a way to cover up their desire to keep poor people and minorities from voting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year wasn't Wilson disqualified from some football game due to residency fraud?

Everyone knows where the football players at Friendship Charter really live.

If you were to ask teachers at Duke Ellington if they knew of children from Maryland at school they would say yes.

Ellington is a bit of a special case because it specifically admits "tuition-paying" students. While there may also be residency cheaters at Ellington there are a significant number who openly register from outside the District, there are more kids registered from Maryland at Ellington than from any ward in DC other than Ward 5.

I put "tuition-paying" in quotes though because DCPS has historically had quite a bit of trouble actually collecting tuition from students. At the last audit the number of kids in the entire DCPS system who actually paid their tuition was lower than the number of "tuition-paying" kids at Ellington. Residency fraud gets replaced by tuition fraud I guess.

If "Ward 9" (aka Maryland) makes up the largest number of kids openly registered at DE after Ward 5, why is it that DE takes MD kids when there are DC kids who apply and can't get in?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year wasn't Wilson disqualified from some football game due to residency fraud?

Everyone knows where the football players at Friendship Charter really live.

If you were to ask teachers at Duke Ellington if they knew of children from Maryland at school they would say yes.

Ellington is a bit of a special case because it specifically admits "tuition-paying" students. While there may also be residency cheaters at Ellington there are a significant number who openly register from outside the District, there are more kids registered from Maryland at Ellington than from any ward in DC other than Ward 5.

I put "tuition-paying" in quotes though because DCPS has historically had quite a bit of trouble actually collecting tuition from students. At the last audit the number of kids in the entire DCPS system who actually paid their tuition was lower than the number of "tuition-paying" kids at Ellington. Residency fraud gets replaced by tuition fraud I guess.

Don't be askin' too many questions about Duke Ellington. Folks get quite indignant and defensive when others come snooping around about tuition, principal compensation, location, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year wasn't Wilson disqualified from some football game due to residency fraud?

Everyone knows where the football players at Friendship Charter really live.

If you were to ask teachers at Duke Ellington if they knew of children from Maryland at school they would say yes.

Ellington is a bit of a special case because it specifically admits "tuition-paying" students. While there may also be residency cheaters at Ellington there are a significant number who openly register from outside the District, there are more kids registered from Maryland at Ellington than from any ward in DC other than Ward 5.

I put "tuition-paying" in quotes though because DCPS has historically had quite a bit of trouble actually collecting tuition from students. At the last audit the number of kids in the entire DCPS system who actually paid their tuition was lower than the number of "tuition-paying" kids at Ellington. Residency fraud gets replaced by tuition fraud I guess.

And remember that "tuition", even if paid, doesn't come close to covering the pro rata pupil costs. So any way you slice it, the DC taxpayers are subsidizing the education of kids who don't reside here? Who decided that this was a worthy public policy, especially when other DC schools lack resources like science teachers and librarians?

Anonymous wrote:Last year wasn't Wilson disqualified from some football game due to residency fraud?

Everyone knows where the football players at Friendship Charter really live.

If you were to ask teachers at Duke Ellington if they knew of children from Maryland at school they would say yes.

Ellington is a bit of a special case because it specifically admits "tuition-paying" students. While there may also be residency cheaters at Ellington there are a significant number who openly register from outside the District, there are more kids registered from Maryland at Ellington than from any ward in DC other than Ward 5.

I put "tuition-paying" in quotes though because DCPS has historically had quite a bit of trouble actually collecting tuition from students. At the last audit the number of kids in the entire DCPS system who actually paid their tuition was lower than the number of "tuition-paying" kids at Ellington. Residency fraud gets replaced by tuition fraud I guess.