School Taxes vs School Districts (Islip, Babylon: how much, lawyer, new house)

[slider227]

Can there be a case where you have a house that straddles a border
(e.g. Deer Park/Dix Hills or North Babylon/West Islip - where one school is in one town and the other school is in the other town, and one school district is clearly more desirable than the other) and pay the taxes from one town and go to school in the other district?

Or do the towns pro-rate the tax based on the square footage or something?
In that case, what determines which school you go to?

[4StanleyCups]

Is it done? (live in one town and have your kids attend school in an adjacent better district)

Yes.

Will the realtors tell you that you will be able to do so?

No.

Will the better school district let the possibility be common knowledge?

No.

But do they allow it?

Yes, on an individual-case basis.

Your best bet is to make an appointment with someone in the school district that you want your child to go to. Tell them you really really want your child to go to their excellent schools but unfortunately your househunting budget only allows you to purchase (or rent) in the adjoining school district. (I've heard that it "helps" if the situation is due to divorce, etc ... don't know if that is true, but it's what I was told by someone who has done this). If the school district okays it, then you're in. However, you will have to pay for the privilege (your child can't go to their school 'for free' if you're paying taxes to another district). How much it will cost you, is up to the school district that you want to get into. But it will probably be cheaper than the alternative (sending your kids to a private school).

[nbres]

Look into the No Child Left Behind Law. It allows kids to leave an underperforming schools. I don't think the law has been fully utilized on Long Island. Maybe I should contact a lawyer and so should you - Half Hollow Hills here we come.

[Jennifer06]

Has anyone done this with an elementary school? Been able to send your child to a school in the other elemtentary school district (which is in the same HS district)? Us: we live in the Riverhead school district. Two of the elementary schools in the Riverhead HS district seem good (though I haven't fully researched because I figured we can't go there), but ours is awful. Might it be possible for our son to go to one of the other elementary schools -- i.e., Aquebogue or Calverton?

Jen

[pdcnret]

School districts and towns rarely share the same borders on Long Island. They are generally separate government entities. A school district may encompass several different villages or hamlets. I don't believe that you have the option of attending a public school in another district unless there are extenuating circumstances.

[KellyFG]

there are allowances that are rarely made public. I had a slightly different scenario, we bought our house at the end of my son's junior year of hugh school. He attended that district from 4th grade on, we were moving 20 miles away to our new house. The district allowed him to attend & his senior year & graduate at no cost to me because he was a resident of the district before 5th grade, this was an actual rule written in some book nobody ever sees.
I have heard there are lots of rules & allowances like these but you need to act like you already know they exist when you ask about them. I don't know anything about it but have you looked into the Riverhead Charter school?
Good luck!

[4StanleyCups]

Originally Posted by KellyFG

there are allowances that are rarely made public.

I have heard there are lots of rules & allowances like these but you need to act like you already know they exist when you ask about them.

Precisely.