Some Steal Top-Notch Education

Sept. 8, 2005 — -- California's Silicon Valley is world-renowned for the multitude of high-tech companies based there, like Apple Computer and Hewlett-Packard. But in the San Francisco Bay area, it's the schools that get the attention of local parents, and even drive some to break the law.

Like many high-performing school districts across the country, Silicon Valley's elite Fremont Union High School District must deal with parents falsifying residency to get their kids a shot at a top-notch education. School officials say illegal enrollment is not a victimless crime because it takes resources away from students who are legitimately entitled to them.

In April 2005, the district disenrolled close to 250 students from its five high schools, according to Dr. Steve Rowley, the district's superintendent. He said most of those students were eighth-graders who would have been incoming this fall, but for the rest, it was a message that the district is not going to excuse parents who try to cheat the system -- or their children.

The kids who sneak into Fremont Union come from neighboring school districts and from as far away as Oakland and, according to one school official, represent every ethinc and economic background possible.

"Our parents are sacrificing enormously," Rowley said. "They're legitimate taxpayers, they've put their hard-earned money where it counts, they've sacrificed for their kids' education and all of our kids -- from the ones who run off to Harvard and Stanford, to those who are on the other end of the spectrum -- deserve the resources that we've got."

Rowley said that the district was able to save $3 million by weeding out students who didn't belong, though they chose not to pursue legal action against any.