Dist. 204 escalates residency crackdown

Next year, parents and guardians of fifth- and eighth-grade students in Indian Prairie School District 204 must show proof of residency, as officials try to weed out those who don't live within district boundaries.

Since the district stepped up efforts to verify students' residency status this year, officials have found at least nine students at two of its high schools who didn't live within the district. Spending an average of $9,000 a year per student, the district can expect to save about $81,000 by removing those students from the classroom.

While a formal tally has not been kept of the number of students who have tried to enroll despite not being residents in 204, district officials say residency verification efforts have been working at all schools. This year, middle and high school students were unable to receive class schedules until they could prove residency, resulting in higher compliance with the requirement.

The district also asked residents living in rental homes with expired leases to show they still lived within the boundaries. Also, bus riders were verified, addresses of returned mailings were checked out and an hourly private investigator was hired in some cases to verify residency.

“We're taking this more seriously than we ever have before, said Curt Bradshaw, board president.

New students and kindergartners are required to prove residency. Under plans in the works, fifth and eighth graders also will be required to show they still live within 204's boundaries. It will be important for families to understand the importance of the new requirements and for the district to communicate how significant dollars can be saved, Superintendent Kathryn Birkett said.

“It will be an inconvenience for many of our parents, she said. “I'm sure we'll have some people not appreciate it.

In the future, the board also will discuss the possibility of hiring a full-time registrar. If many illegal students are found, the cost would be justified, Bradshaw said. Last year, West Aurora School District 129 reported it found 400 students illegally enrolled in the district. The findings were the result of an aggressive verification campaign. District 204 officials don't expect to find that many violations, but said they do add up. “If you find 1 percent, you're still talking about big money, Bradshaw said. “We shouldn't be penny wise and pound-foolish.

A registrar could keep the process more efficient by being the main contact for school officials as well as parents and guardians, district officials said. The staffer also could keep district employees from duplicating efforts as they independently verify residency of students in different schools even though they might be from the same family.