The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bill would allow Ga. students to attend out-of-district schools
Sometimes, legislation introduced in the Georgia General Assembly serves as political theater, designed to entertain, enrage or emphasize a point. House Bill 788 falls into that last category.
The bill, which has little chance of passage, would allow parents to utilize a friend’s address to enroll their children in a school outside of their district or zone. For example, a student who lives in DeKalb could attend a school in Gwinnett if the parents have friends there willing to lend their legal address.
The bill imposes no geographic limits but the likely scenario, due to transportation challenges, would be parents attempting to move their kids into high-performing adjacent districts. (Anyone else see a thriving industry in a “rent-a-friend” enterprises in high-performing school districts?)
Sponsored by Rep. Valencia Stovall, D-Ellenwood, the bill says, “A student shall be allowed to attend and be enrolled in the school for which a parent or guardian certifies that an individual residing in the school’s attendance zone has authorized such parent or guardian to use such individual’s address for purposes of establishing residency. A parent or guardian or an individual residing in the school’s attendance zone who has authorized such parent or guardian to use such individual’s address shall not be criminally liable pursuant ...and shall not be liable for any attorney’s fees or other fees for the use of such individual’s address to enroll a child in a school.”
This dramatic legislation is making the point that some students are zoned to underperforming schools, and those kids deserve an escape route. Stovall was among a handful of Democratic legislators who supported Gov. Nathan Deal’s Opportunity School District, saying at the time about her own Clayton school district: “Our economic viability is dependent upon an effective school system, which is not what we have now . ... I remain in support of the passage of the amendment because our students can’t wait.”
Now, it’s illegal to falsify an address to enroll children in a school outside of their attendance zone, which is why some districts require residency affidavits.
Most systems don’t criminally prosecute when they find families using a false address, preferring to send the students back to their home schools.
The subterfuge became national news in 2011 when a district in Ohio chose to prosecute. Parent Kelley Williams-Bolar earned brief jail time for using her father’s address and forging documents to enroll her daughters in a higher performing district. (Ohio Gov. John Kasich reduced her sentence of 10 days of jail time.)
Despite greater vigilance, enrollment fraud occurs. The most notable case unfolded in 2014 when a four-month investigation by Atlanta Public Schools found 17 football players —- nearly onethird of the team —- fraudulently enrolled at Grady High School. The fallout led to several school employee resignations, suspensions and reassignments. At least three families who faked addresses and forged document were billed tuition of between $5,000 and $35,000 for the time their children illegally attended Grady.
Georgia’s system of school funding can make local taxpayers more responsible and thus more protective of their community schools. On average, the state provides 53.3 percent of school costs, local taxpayers cover 40.2 percent and federal dollars underwrite 6.5 percent. But there are districts where property owners assume a greater share of the tab and invest more money in their schools than neighboring communities are able or willing to do.
According to 2017 state Department of Education data, Atlanta taxpayers provided 68 percent of costs of city schools, the state kicked in 25 percent and federal dollars comprised the remaining 7 percent. Fulton County property owners financed 59 percent of their school costs, the state supplied 36 percent and the feds 5 percent.
Over the years, the state’s been shifting more costs onto districts. The state covered 54 percent of the cost of busing students in 1991. In 2017, the state contribution fell to 15 percent. Stovall’s bill would provoke less opposition if the state were the main source of school funding, and all districts spent the same amount of money per student. An influx of out-ofdistrict students to Atlanta or Fulton would burden local taxpayers, some of whom might be priced out of their homes if school taxes rose to cover “guest” students. That explains why few districts are likely to put out the welcome mat for families outside their boundaries.