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School Districts
updated: Jul 12, 2012, 4:49 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

I have an issue that I know cannot be helped, but it is frustrating me. I am a business owner of a small, local business. My business is in the Hope school district. I pay property taxes for my business including taxes to Hope School district, however I have been informed that because my primary residence is not in the district I cannot send my children to Hope District schools. I cannot help but feel cheated by this policy. Just asking for any opinions on this matter (or if there is anyone I can talk to). P.S. No, I do not want to lie and say we live at our office. I want to do this in a legit fashion.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 296888P	2012-07-12 05:04 PM
Apply for a district transfer. Using the reasoning that you have a business in the district and will be able to have your child at school on time each day can help. You will have to state why you want to transfer from the district you are in though. Did your child have a bad experience at the current school? Do all of his or her friends go to Hope? It isn't that easy to get a transfer but if you have a good reason they will work with you. My children have never gone to school in the district we were assigned and we never lied to get a transfer.
COMMENT 296893	2012-07-12 05:10 PM
Move
COMMENT 296897	2012-07-12 05:15 PM
Hope School district is a district (like santa barbara and goleta) that only take kids who are living in that district, it is called basic aid funding I think. They will not take your child because they do not want their monies to have to pay for children from outside their area...because they do not receive money for kids from out of district. Your business address is a completely separate issue. The only way to go to a school in that district is to live in the boundary. That is according to law, which the school must follow to earn the most money per student. Your frustration should be with the laws and regulations, not the district.....You will not be able to transfer into Hope District....you used to, but not right now.
COMMENT 296901	2012-07-12 05:41 PM
A few years ago the Hope district was a "revenue limit" district funded on a per-student basis; more kids = more money from the state. Each kid was a source of revenue. They recruited heavily in certain neighborhoods in Santa Barbara - Mesa, Samarkand, and Hidden Valley mostly. Now, they are a "basic aid" district where they get funded on a fixed basis from local property taxes - it doesn't matter how many kids they have, their funding is the same. Now, each kid is an expense. A couple of years ago they threw out a lot of kids (who they recruited just a few years prior). A lot of hurt feelings there. Best bet; go to your neighborhood school, and as a parent work hard to make it the best school it can be!
COMMENT 296915	2012-07-12 06:13 PM
move to the district
COMMENT 296920	2012-07-12 06:20 PM
I hope no one says mean things to you because I think this is a great question and THESE are the type of things that I assume Edhat wants to have on its/his/her discussion boards, yes? So, I hope you are able to get some great resources and are able to brush off the snide things that some may say. Good luck to you! =) Cheers to the LOCAL tax payers!!!
COMMENT 296929P	2012-07-12 07:09 PM
The Principals in this District have been know to go to students homes and ask to see where the kids sleep and see where the clothes are hung. If they catch you cheating you are out. So it's good you are being honest. I have several friends who rented their homes in other districts so they could then rent a home in the Hope School District. Divorce won't help. If you are divorced the address that the child sleeps 60 percent or more of the time is the address used for residency. Good luck!!! Hope School District is a GREAT district!!
COMMENT 296949	2012-07-12 08:29 PM
Yes indeed they come to your door to verify you and yours - I was shocked - but only because the principle, Mrs Cooley, was knocking at our door while we had loud (rock) music playing as we were vacuuming and dancing along.. very embarrassing. I love Vieja Valley - great school
FLICKA	2012-07-13 07:23 AM
Seems to me, if you are paying school taxes through your business you should be able to send the kids there. Ask about diverting your school portion of the tax to the school your children are assigned to. See what happens, might be worth a try to have them see reason.
REXOFSB	2012-07-13 07:28 AM
I think the point that's being missed here is that the OP owns a business within the Hope district and his/her property tax is going directly to the district. Since OP is PAYING for this, shouldn't OP's children have an absolute right to attend Hope?
COMMENT 296998	2012-07-13 07:52 AM
Please learn to plan your pick up and deliver schedule so you are unhurried. Please learn to respect the neighborhoods around the Schools before you transfer. I bought a house up the street from a school while not aware of how disrespectful out of district and even up the street neighbors, parent fly through our neighborhood at break-neck speeds because "I'm late, I'm running behind." The summers are great around here as school is out of session.
COMMENT 297008	2012-07-13 08:16 AM
I know at least one person who has recently moved to the district for this very reason. There are many reasonably priced rentals in the surrounding neighborhoods and home sale prices are still falling, so the only question is how much of a sacrifice you are willing to make for the future of your children. Sounds like you'll have a nice "green" commute as well once you move.
COMMENT 297015	2012-07-13 08:21 AM
How about trying to "fix" the schools in the district you do live in so you'll want to send your children there, huh? It's fine to want something good for your kids but when one school becomes a lot better than the others then that's the beginning of inequality and elitism. We ought to have at the very least equally funded schools for all children!
COMMENT 297022	2012-07-13 08:30 AM
There is no "fix" for the undesirable santa barbara elementary school district. I wonder if the business owner owns the building where he is conducting his business? I bet not.
COMMENT 297085	2012-07-13 10:14 AM
No, Rex, the OP should not have such as right, as no one else has such a right. The value of a business is in large part due to its location, including the quality of its schools ... property taxes contribute to the quality of the district where the business is located.
COMMENT 297195	2012-07-13 01:28 PM
Although I understand what you're asking, I don't understand why you think you would have the "right" to send your child to Hope school just b/c you pay property taxes on your "business" in that school district. The law is the law...if you wanted your child to go to Hope, then you should have planned to either a) buy a home in that district; or b) rent a home in that district.
COMMENT 297288P	2012-07-13 05:22 PM
My daughter owns a home in the Hope District, but lives in the Santa Barbara School District. They cannot send their children to a Hope School unless they actually move into the district. While it is true that the Hope District does check homes to verify that the children live in the district, think about what it is teaching young children if the children have to lie about where they live.
COMMENT 297422	2012-07-14 07:57 AM
Yes buy my house for what I paid five years ago.

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