Spending Money to Save Money

Q. In the county where I live, the school board approved a residency-compliance officer to enforce residency requirements for students attending its schools. With all the educational needs in this county, why would the board make this position a priority, based on the small percentage of families supposedly violating the residency policy?

A. If a division has a policy of this nature, it is important to enforce it. A position devoted to identifying non-resident students will also deter parents who contemplate violating this policy from doing so. Henrico County has a long history of not accepting non-resident students. During my 25-year career in the division, many parents unsuc-cessfully sought to pay tuition to send their young people to the county’s schools. The county spends almost $9,000 a year per student. When one considers this amount multiplied by several hundred out-of-district students each year, it represents significant funds that could be used on other needs. The posted ad for this position suggests that the person will serve as a part-time social worker and part-time investigator. This flexibility will be helpful and allows the person hired to provide other ser-vices to young people based on the demands of the job.

Q. I was very concerned when my son shared at the supper table that he had talked with a military recruiter at school during a career fair. I had no idea that recruiters could come into our schools and talk with our young people.

A. The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to provide military recruiters with the same access to high schools as colleges and employers have. However, the nature of recruiters’ access to young people varies from division to division and even from school to school. The most common form of access in our state is through career and job fairs and college night events. The Department of Defense spends considerable amounts of money on recruitment materials like t-shirts, key chains, posters and water bottles to help military recruiters meet their quotas. NCLB also requires that schools provide military recruiters with the names, addresses and phone numbers of high school juniors and seniors, unless parents opt out in writing. If you have further concerns, you should talk with the school’s guidance director or the principal.

Jo Lynne DeMary was superintendent of public instruction for Virginia and is currently director of the Center for School Improvement at VCU. She believes that parents empowered by knowledge are the best partners in their children’s education.

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