SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Student residency investigation ongoing

By Mary Brienza, Staff Writer
   The residencies of some students attending township school are currently being investigated by the Board of Education.
   There have been 65 investigations so far this year that resulted in 13 withdrawals and denial of entrances, district Superintendent Dr. Gary McCartney said at the Jan. 10 Board of Education meeting.
   Last year, there were 112 investigations that resulted in eight removals, Dr. McCartney said.
   ”This is an ongoing daily matter we pursue,” Dr. McCartney said.
   The investigations begin when certain patterns are recognized, and from concerns of other parents, Board of Education president Dr. Matthew Speesler, said.
   Some of the patterns are: students being driven to bus stops in good weather, children that are bused in the morning and picked up in the afternoon, and children reporting that they are playing with a classmate who lives in a different town, Dr. Speesler said.
   This is an important issue is because there could be significant expenditure for the district on students not actually living in the community and that the money is then not being spent on children that live in South Brunswick, Dr. Speesler said.
   The residency of children is checked upon registration, there are also spot checks, checks over the phone, and “suspicious activities” are investigated by school security, Dr. Speesler said.
   If it is determined the student does not reside in the district, they will receive letters and phone calls asking for them to withdraw from the school, Dr. Speesler said.
   If they want to continue going to the school, they can petition the board to allow them to stay in the school and pay tuition if approved by the board, Dr. Speesler said.
   If not approved, the child must then enroll in a school located in the district they reside in, Dr. Speesler said.
   If the request to withdraw is refused, the district will take legal action, Dr. Speesler said, but so far, the district has “never got to that point,” Dr. Speesler said.
   Students from outside the district attending the district’s schools in South Brunswick are investigated because the parents of students who come from outside the district are not paying taxes for South Brunswick, and having students from outside the district also increases class size, Dr. Speesler said.
   If there are more students, the township has more expenses, Mr. Speesler said.
   Dr. Speesler said out of district students have mostly come from neighboring Franklin Township in Somerset County.
   According to the 2008-2009 New Jersey School Report Card compiled by the state’s Department of Education, the total cost per pupil is $13,788 per year to educate a student in South Brunswick, and $15,795 per year to educate a student in Franklin Township.