School Assigned To My Address

All of these scenarios are against the spirit of the local public school.

Some people and kids are very open about not living in the district and others are cautious about who they share that info with. Personally, I wouldn't want to teach my kids to be dishonest to get what they want, but then again, I'm lucky to live in the Berkeley School district and have not had to fear my children's school choices. One other issue with using the investment property - playdates become VERY awkward.

You can never invite people to your house for a playdate or sleepover because you are trying to hide the fact you don't live in the district.

I would check with the school district on their policy before you invest in a property. anon I'd check the enrollment requirements for the district you are interested in. While it's a bit sneaky, I would bet there are tons of folks who do the same thing so you gotta do what you gotta do.

I would feel a bit nervous about being found out, though.

Some districts are paid by student enrollment, some aren't.

The schools on either side of residency dodging tend to suffer--the ''poorer'' school becomes poorer because they lose the per-student funding, the ''richer'' school doesn't get richer (because they are funded differently), and end up having their resources stretched as they try to educate more kids than they are funded for.

Berkeley requires 3 proofs: utility bills, driver's license, checking account bills, etc. Residency policies and procedures vary widely by district, but in all cases they are looking to see that you are a resident, not an owner, in the district.

This is an ugly issue for schools, one that is primarily about money.

Apparently just owning a property and paying the taxes there is not acceptable---you are supposed to live in it.

I have heard (in albany) of officials coming to the addresses and checking to see if the kids actually live there. You'd have to decide if it's worth it to you to have some of your mail go to the other address.