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Not okay. Either move into the desired school district or put your kids in private school. I understand wanting something better for your kids, but set an example by going about it the right way.
Nobody has a right to send their child to any school they choose without meeting the requirements for enrollment.
In Connecticut Sheff vs O'Neil challenged the constitutionalty of students being confined by town lines when racial issolation was the result. As a result charter schools, magnet schools, and voluntary out of district programs were enacted. The court ruled that this remedy was acceptable.
All these options have enrollment requirements and the parent does not get to do whatever they want if they don't like the results.
The woman herself stated she didn't send her children there for better educational opportunities. There were magnet schools and other options within her district.
Equal education opportunity does not mean the same. That is not possible as there are too many variables.
We cannot justify fraud and theft as remedies to real and perceived inequities. If people want to change the funding of education then they need to do it the way our democratic system is set up to do it, that is, by speaking up, contacting elected representatives, and demanding changes in the law.
Ohio.com - Convicted mom is holding out for exoneration (http://www.ohio.com/news/114850844.html - broken link)
Quote:
Butcher reiterated what Williams-Bolar has always said: that her decision to move her children from Akron schools to Copley-Fairlawn was not based on a belief of her children receiving a better education in suburbia.
Williams-Bolar, who works in special education for Akron schools, told the Beacon Journal last week that moving the girls to their grandfather's home in Copley was intended to ensure their safety and avoid a latch-key situation.
In an interview last week, Williams-Bolar said she and her children have two homes: one on Hartford Avenue in Akron and her father's in Copley.
Of course, the other thing that happened was a lot of petitions and so she was released early
Ohio.com - Akron mom released early from jail in school residency case (http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/114658564.html - broken link)
OK, I guess I need to make explicit the conditions I thought were implied in my original statement: Don't have kids knowing you can't afford them and don't intend to do anything to support them besides defrauding people. Is that clear enough for you?
I'm sorry if I insulted you, but I hear that implication from most people who have made snap determinations about others in that situation long before they find out the whole story.
I think that this type of fraud (falsifying residency) only serves to perpetuate hate and discontent and often propels that misconception.
I don't think falsifying residency per se is right. But I guess whose business is it really if a parent is willing to go the extra mile to make sure their kids get into a good school (driving far) or whatever.
I agree. I teach in a wealthy district but there are apartments and cheaper houses in the district. You may have to buy smaller than you want but if it's schools that are important, you do what you have to.
I went to grad school at U of Michigan, and ended up renting an apartment that was in a complex that would take Section 8 vouchers in the city limits. Ann Arbor is an expensive place to buy a home; but yes, it was possible for even low income families to have a way into the desirable Ann Arbor public schools instead of getting stuck in the ghetto part of Ypsilanti. (And the Section 8 parents that were my neighbors were generally nice folks who weren't going to do anything to get themselves kicked out of a good schools area. Very different than the usual perception of that program)
The situation here makes me remember how in the early 90s, the otherwise abysmal Washington D.C. public schools were having to hire private investigators to track down (frequently white) parents who had registered their kids for DC public schools but actually lived in the suburbs. The reason- DC had full day kindergarten plus cheap afterschool programs at the time while at least one otherwise desirable big suburban district only had half day K, and the kingergarten programs in the District were seen as aceptable enough in terms of quality that parents were trying to save a whole bunch of money on daycare by illegally enrolling kids there instead.
I don't think falsifying residency per se is right. But I guess whose business is it really if a parent is willing to go the extra mile to make sure their kids get into a good school (driving far) or whatever.
Because all they are doing is GETTING their kids to the school. They are not paying taxes to support those schools they are trying to ILLEGALLY get them into. When they pay taxes into that school system to support it, support the programs it offers, support the teachers, support the entire schools support system.......... THEN they have the RIGHT to enroll their children in that school. Until then they are "stealing" something that does not belong to them. Just driving a longer distance to a neighboring school district does not support that school system. If too many people did this then these better districts would not be so good as you would have too many people leeching the system and draining funds out of it that are not paying into it.
Because all they are doing is GETTING their kids to the school. They are not paying taxes to support those schools they are trying to ILLEGALLY get them into. When they pay taxes into that school system to support it, support the programs it offers, support the teachers, support the entire schools support system.......... THEN they have the RIGHT to enroll their children in that school. Until then they are "stealing" something that does not belong to them. Just driving a longer distance to a neighboring school district does not support that school system. If too many people did this then these better districts would not be so good as you would have too many people leeching the system and draining funds out of it that are not paying into it.
So, what about states where school funding doesn't come from property taxes? Here, funding is doled at the state level. However, you still can't enroll your child in a school if you don't live within the boundaries.
It is amazing to see how many people can justify fraud, theft, and other forms of gaming the system if it suits their needs. It is no wonder our social welfare system, Medicare, Social Security, and other governmental programs are ripe with abuse.
I have been in education for nearly two decades. The abuses of governmental programs are widespread. It is sad to see the waste that takes place. The more people are distanced from directly paying for the services they receive the more they will justify taking all they can get away with taking.
The line has to be drawn somewhere. Local control of education leads to greater accountability, pride, and community. This case is just another example of a problem that isn't being honestly discussed to find real solutions to structural societal problems.
When I was in elementary school, my mom put me in daycare for awhile. The only purpose was for me to be able to go to a better school. I don't know about other states, but in California daycare is a purpose for school transfer. People who put their kids in daycare in a school zone don't pay property taxes for that school. I'm not saying that defrauding the system is right. It's very obviously wrong.
Also, not every school district has low income options. There are many out here that have no affordable options at all, and the poor kids are relegated to a very bad education. The poor kids' parents can't afford daycare, so they can't use that option. There really is a huge difference in the education offered to rich kids and to poor kids. This is true even though most districts spend about the same per pupil in this state.
The number of kids who wish to transfer to the wealthiest high school in the district I grew up in is crazy, and only a very few get in. The other kids have no other options than the schools they are zoned to, which are really bad. One in particular is horrible, and those kids have no real other options. Their parents can't afford to move anywhere else with better schools, they can't afford private schools, and they can't transfer to other schools.
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