How the Principal Is Trying to Prevent Finger-Pointing at Carpenter—But Still, Things Are Getting Ugly

One parent is afraid to schedule play dates for her daughter anymore. If the play date is at her dad’s house, a 45-minute drive away from the Studio City area, suspicion is raised.

“I find myself explaining, 'No, really, I own a condo a few blocks away from the school. [My daughter] lives with me half the time. We go here legitimately.' It's crazy,” the mom said. “I feel like I have to carry papers to prove it to some parents at Carpenter.”

One parent who was once very active in the school moved out of the district two years ago, but wanted his children to stay at the high-achieving public school. “We haven’t told anyone yet, but we’re thinking about not coming back," he said. "It’s just not worth it. It’s like there’s a witch hunt going on.”

Carpenter Community Charter School is in its third year as a charter affiliate with the Los Angeles Unified School District, and test scores have continued to increase, as has the enrichment programs from money raised by the parents.

But lately, the elementary school has been faced with overcrowding, and people living near the school may be forced into a lottery to see if their children can go to their neighborhood school. Yet, the administration thinks that 120 students—enough to fill four to five classrooms—are improperly enrolled at the Studio City school.

Principal Joe Martinez is trying extremely hard to avoid an air of finger-pointing among the unusually active parent population at the school.

“In regards to the paranoia over parents ratting out each other, I am opposed to that idea,” Martinez told Patch. “If we use address verification technology, we could bypass all of that negative energy. I hope that the District will agree with me. If not, the school may be forced to use some of those other tactics that can create a negative school climate.”

Many parents are concerned that things have already gotten ugly at Carpenter. Some parents have said that homeowners in the area should get priority to apartment dwellers—a distinction that LAUSD forbids (a resident in the district is a resident, no matter what). Some parents have said that families with five children have moved into small apartments to get in the district; others talk of rumors of families that have leased property in the area for short periods of time to get into the school.

“It’s sad because we all know someone who doesn’t live in the area but their kids come to school here,” said parent Denise DaVinci. “We don’t want to see them leave, either, but people should be able to go to their neighborhood school.”

“It has been an ugly year, it’s heartbreaking and it’s hurting the children,” said parent whose work with the school led to her writing a book about fundraising tips, called Mom’s Guide to School Fundraising. “We should be focused on making the school a better learning environment and not have this finger-pointing and general nastiness.”

One parent, who spoke to Patch anonymously because he felt he would be targeted, admitted to using a relative’s address to gain entry into the school. “We live half an hour's drive away, and we very much enjoy this school,” the parent said. “I tell my [child], 'Don’t say where we live.' I don’t think I am breaking the law, but we love this school so much. I can see that people would break the law to get in.”

Another parent who doesn’t live in the area was shaken at the public meeting when the school’s Governance Council met with LAUSD officials and past PTA president Andrew Barrett-Weiss said, “We all know people who don’t live in the district and are coming to this school. Some of them are in this room right now.”

The parent, who worked on multiple committees on schools over the past years, said, “I felt like everyone knew it was me, and that my child was suddenly taking space from someone who lived in the area. It makes you feel really uncomfortable.”

Martinez said he has received notes and anonymous phone calls and tips from parents saying that so-and-so doesn't live in Studio City. He wants to stop that. 

"I don't want to install an anonymous tip line at the school for this," he told the LAUSD officials, somewhat facetiously, at the public meeting. However, some parents want him to do just that.

Martinez also insisted that he did not want teachers involved in rooting out students who don’t live in the district. On a recent field trip, a parent said that a child pointed to their bicycle parked far outside the district. Some parents say that information like that should go to the administrators as a sign this child may not live in the school district.

“I do not want to put teachers into the position of policing the students like that,” Martinez said.

There was also an idea for suspected students to identify their house by photographs to see if the children themselves know their local address. Martinez nixed that idea immediately.

What if teachers asked students if they travel on a freeway to get to school, that should be an indicator, one parent suggested. No, Martinez said he will not collect information that way.

“It’s not the students’ fault that they are at the school fraudulently, and they should not be subjected to questions like this,” Martinez said. “I think that families in that situation should leave for the sake of their children and not wait until they are discovered.”

After a volatile public meeting, LAUSD officials approved extra staff to find students that don’t live in the district. The office staff was trained last week to comply with the new policy now posted on the school website: http://www.carpentercharter.org/attendance-enrollment/admissions.html.

Martinez took extra measures to explain the situation to the Studio City Neighborhood Council and on Tuesday night to the Studio City Residents Association. Also school board representative for the area, Tamar Galatzan came to the school meetings, as has representatives from City Councilman Paul Krekorian’s office.

By using electronic checks through computer searches Martinez said it will identify potential fraudulent addresses and then further investigation, including a home visit, may be required. If they determine the student doesn't live in the district, the student will be assigned to their home school.

Carpenter has class space for 168 incoming Kindergarten classes, but may have more than 190 applicants by the end of the registration period that ends Thursday. Priority goes to those living in the district at the time school begins.

Of the more than 1,000 students at Carpenter, 120 students had unverified addresses and 30 to 50 students started at the school, but then moved away. Under LAUSD charter school rules, those students who have moved away are allowed to continue at the school—but some parents say those rules should not apply to a community school like Carpenter.

Carpenter is the first school in the LAUSD system to launch a big crackdown on fraudulent addresses, but school officials said they know this is something that will be permeating the system as schools become more crowded. Families have cheated the system to get into more desirable schools by using false documents, faking utility bills, creating rental agreements and using addresses that are not their own.

It's not sure yet whether Carpenter will have to go through a lottery for residents—that will be determined two weeks after the application deadline closes. Martinez said his top priority is to allow in all local residents to the school first. And, he plans to keep the peace.

For more information about the application deadline, CLICK HERE.

Carpenter's Prospective Parent Tour begins at 8 a.m. Thursday morning, starting in the auditorium. No reservations are required.