Crete-MoneeSchool District 201-U

Residency FAQ

1. Who may attend school on a tuition-free basis?

Pupils who are residents of a district may enroll to attend school in that district on a tuition-free basis. A pupil's residence is generally deemed to be the residence of a person who has "legal custody" of a pupil. If the pupil lives with an adult who has assumed and exercises legal responsibility for the pupil as defined by Illinois law and provides the pupil with a fixed nighttime abode for the pupil, then the pupil is a resident of the district in which that adult maintains a fixed nighttime place of abode, as long as the pupil is not living with the adult for the purposes of accessing the educational programs of the district.

2. Why has National Investigations been hired to assist the District in the residency verification process?

In many instances, residency verification requires an investigation beyond the review of simple documentation. This includes the ability to perform physical checks of address, collection of data that includes witness statements, documentation of transportation provided, comprehensive review of evidence, research of prior year's residency documents, neighbor statements, etc. The school district is not staffed with a dedicated person to perform these extensive residency checks as the office is comprised of only one registrar.

3. Is it against the law to enroll a pupil who is not a resident of the District to attend the District's school on a tuition-free basis?

Yes. A person who knowingly or willfully presents false information to a school district regarding the residency of a pupil for the purpose of enabling that pupil to attend any school in that district without the payment of a nonresident tuition charge or who knowingly enrolls or attempts to enroll in the schools on a tuition-free basis a pupil known by that person to be a non-resident is guilty of committing a Class C misdemeanor. (105 ILCS 5/10-20.12b(e)-(f))

State law also allows for perpetrators to also be sued for the current school year's tuition or 110% of the tuition charge per (105ILCS 5/10.12b).

4. What are the consequences for enrolling a non-resident in the schools?

If it is ultimately determined that a non-resident has been enrolled in the schools, the enrolling individual will be responsible for tuition in a per diem amount based upon 110% of the per capita cost of maintaining the schools of the district for the preceding year. For the 2016-2017 school year, the per capita cost was $12,589.09. In addition, the non-resident student will be removed from the school and required to enroll in the school district where he or she resides.

5. Has CM201-U ever used an outside company to investigate residency? If so, what was the cost?

Yes, CM 201-U has always performed comprehensive residency verification checks. Between 2005 and 2011 CM 201-U hired National Investigations to investigate fraudulent residency. The cost was as follows for services rendered during the following school years:

2004-2005	$3,645.25
2005-2006	$32,383.06
2006-2007	$10,826.50
2007-2008	$9,6721.25
2008-2009	$0
2009-2010	$0
2010-2011	$292.50
2011-2012	$81.25
Total	$56,899.81

6. How are families able to enroll non-resident students?

The District utilizes a comprehensive verification system upon enrollment that is in conformity with State and federal law and the procedures recommended by the Illinois State Board of Education. This includes providing various forms of proof that demonstrate that the enrolling individual maintains a residence in the district boundaries and that the student is in the "custody" of that individual as defined by law. Unfortunately, there are instances where documentation is submitted which is false or misleading and the determination of non-residency is not determined at the enrollment stage. When information is obtained demonstrating that a non-resident student is enrolled, the District then takes steps to investigate and determine the actual residency of the students at issue.

7. What steps will be taken to deter the enrollment of non-resident students?

All enrolling pupils will continue to go through the traditional District-wide registration process. National Investigation will assist the District in confirming residency of enrollees as well.

8. What type of savings, if any, do these investigations yield for the district?

The savings will be more comprehensively assessed once the newly implemented program has been utilized for a period of time. These savings will vary based upon the number of non-resident students that were enrolled and the type of services that were necessary for these particular students.

9. How are families notified?

Any individual determined to have enrolled a student who is a non-resident will be notified by certified mail regarding the determination and informed about the options to review such a determination.

View Residency Determination Notice and Residency Hearing Notice

OFFICE OF DISTRICT AFFAIRS
Crete-Monee School District 201-U Residency Update - August 21, 2018

1. Change of address
2. Moved
3. Families that don’t live in district

2. We continue to receive returned mail from the “addresses” of families that we have tried to reach regarding residency/registration. In response, the Office of District Affairs has:

1. Sent residency letters to families
2. Utilized robo calls to families that were flagged
3. Offered (3) Registration opportunities:
   1. On-line
   2. Walk-in
   3. Mail-in
   4. A 4th registration for those families that were flagged

3. We have identified the following attempts at fraud over the past few weeks as we seek to help clear families for residency:

1. Families utilizing addresses of vacant buildings
2. Families that are forging utility documentation
3. Families that are utilizing McKinney Vento (MV) to enter the district
4. Families that are utilizing the same addresses of other registered families

4. At the start of our 4th registration, there were 320 students unregistered -- which is approximately 174 families. The following is a breakdown of where those students were seeking to register:

1. 11% - Talala
2. 01% - Monee
3. 02% - CSK
4. 33% - CMHS
5. 25% - CMMS
6. 07% - Crete
7. 20% - Balmoral
8. 01% - MEC

5. Of the 320 students (174 families) that were flagged, 137 students’ parents attended a 4th registration offered by the district. Of that total:

1. (To date) 251 of the 320 students remain unregistered as they are still unable to prove residency.
2. 69 were cleared
3. 53 are special education students that remain uncleared

6. The amount spent on National Investigations for the 17-18 SY totaled

• $76, 692

2004-2005	$3,645.25
2005-2006	$32,383.06
2007-2008	$10,826.50
2008-2009	$0
2009-2010	$0
2010-2011	$292.50
2011-2012	$81.25
Total	$56,899.81

7. Families that were flagged were given an option to have a hearing to clear their residency. As of the end of the 17-18 school year, there has been no request for hearing. Families were informed of the process through:

1. letter
2. district website
3. community information forum

8. At this time, we have estimated a savings to the district of $2.2 million based on pupil operating expenses. Other factors that will contribute to this amount are as follows:

1. Tax payer dollars
2. Other revenue
3. Transportation
4. Special education fees
5. Special education transportation
6. Number of vacant homes not generating tax dollars