Doin' It For The Kids: Ohio Woman's School Scam Nets Her Felony Time

So a woman in Akron lied about where she lived to get her kids into a better school district. The district found out about it and took her to court. They determined that she defrauded the school out of more than $30,000 and sent her to jail for 10 days, in addition to having to repay the school district.

A. This whole situation makes no sense to me, because my school district participated in Michigan's Schools of Choice program. Students from other cities (and counties) were allowed to attend schools in my district or any other participating district. The idea that someone could be precluded from attending School District X because their parents don't live in City X is completely foreign to me.

B. It seems like the judge made this woman an example. Sure, they want to deter other people from doing similar things, but really how common are these occurrences? It's unfortunate, because she was in school to be a teacher and a felony record certainly won't help her find work in that field. But fraud is fraud.

C. Was the amount that she did pay in taxes to the Akron public schools taken into account? I understand that she swindled the other school district out of $30,000 - but when they determined how much she owed, did they factor in how much she paid to Akron public schools?

D. This speaks volumes about the disparities in the American education system. If Akron public schools are so bad and another district's schools so good that it's a felony to move your kids between them, how can we expect Akron students to perform at the same levels as at competing districts? And if we don't hold all school districts to the same standards, what does that say about the balance of the playing fields in the "land of opportunity"?

Bottom Line: It's unfortunate that this woman committed a felony to give her kids better opportunities, but that's what happened, by the letter of the law. I think this situation speaks much more to the inequalities in public education than anything else - a woman went to jail for sending her kids to a better school.

Balance and Composure

I should not be blogging. I should be working. At least I'm honest.

This past year has been quite a whirlwind. My girlfriend moved to DC, so I don't have to spend as much time traveling to see her in Boston. This has given me the opportunity to pursue new hobbies. I'm back in school and I've also been attending more Freemasonry meetings (two Blue Lodge meetings this month) with a strong intention of attending more. I'm planning to enter a triathalon in June and am training as such. I also tried my hand/legs at downhill skiing this weekend and definitely want to pursue that again this winter and hopefully for more winters to come.

But I still feel like something is missing. I feel like I need to be creating something. Photots, maybe. Graffiti and music both seem like other areas with low barriers to entry. I've managed to coop up my creativity long enough.

And I want more tattoos!

This Is Happening

In case you were wondering:

1. I'm on the road to grad school, taking a Macroeconomics class at GWU (gunning for a 4.0!) which will likely be followed by Econometrics, Microeconomics, and some sort of public policy course before I would start next fall. Still have to take the GRE and write everything and get letters of recommendation. But we're moving.

2. I passed that WIPO class a few months ago. They're supposed to send me a certificate in the mail, which I will promptly frame and hang in my office if/when they do.

3. Still doing stuff for Dying Scene. It's wearing on me, though. I'm kind of over it.

4. Getting back into Masonry and Lambda Chi Alpha. About time.

5. I started caring about the way I dress in, like, September. I now own nicer shoes, sweaters, and pants, and ties. Also I wear a tie to work every day.

6. Considering buying a Nook, Kindle, or iPad. Mostly just want to read books/comics on it it. Leaning towards the iPad. Not buying anything anytime soon, but keeping an finger on the pulse of things.

7. Started reading comics (kind of again). Working on The Boys, Preacher, The Walking Dead, Y: The Last Man, and Sin City.

Things That Irk Me, Things I Appreciate

Irk
1. the phrase "Obamacare". don't marginalize legislation based on your fear of "higher taxes" and "out-of-control spending". Obama didn't even write the damn thing, and Congress approved it. also, there are no death panels in the legislation. want less federal spending? get our troops out of the middle east.
2. people who turn without signaling. it takes less than a second to use your blinker and it makes your actions predictable and safe on the road. other drivers and pedestrians need you to do this to keep roads safe.
3. the words "Sarah Palin" "President" and "2012" used in the same sentence. there's no way she'd win (convince me, really) so just let it go. unless the GOP starts focusing their energy on developing a real candidate soon, Obama is going to get re-elected and honestly he's not impressed me enough to re-elect him yet.

Appreciate
1. ComicBookLover iOS app and Mac software. i don't want to read textbooks/news articles all the time. this software is all free and lets me put digital versions of comic books onto my phone.
2. Henry Rollins' article in Vanity Fair -READ IT HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T YET - can we please spend more resources on teaching everyone about science or geography and fewer resources supporting/consuming/not marginalizing Jersey Shore?
3. delayed entry for bad weather. thanks for the extra 2 hours today, OPM!