Discrimination Against Homeowners of Existing Homes in Irvine?

D

deedardee

New member
We are moving to Irvine next month. We have found a house and it is currently in escrow.  We have a school age kid so we are working on getting her transferred.  I called IUSD and was told that residence verification requires two forms of utility bills (or tax correspondences etc.)  This makes sense because "you need to be a Irvine resident in order to attend an Irvine school", according to the lady I talked to over the phone, who currently works at IUSD.  However, she also said, "if you purchase a new house", then the purchase agreement alone is sufficient.

That doesn't sound right.  Aren't those "homeowners" not Irvine residents yet until they have moved in?  I felt being discriminated by being a potential homeowner of an "existing" home rather than a "new" home.

This is probably not a big deal for most people.  Unfortunately the close date of our house is very close to the school start date, and I do not want her to miss the first few days of school.  So I asked if I can use my purchase agreement as a temporary proof and send all the other residence proofs once we move in.  Basically I was asking if I could get the same treatment as a homeowner of a new house.  The answer I got is "No" because "this is a board decision". 

I'm not going to get into too much details about the conversations as the lady I talked to was neither helpful nor nice.  At the end, she offered me "you can file a complaint on the IUSD website".

As we are new to Irvine and this forum, just wondering if anybody else has ever been in the same situation.  We'd highly appreciate if you could share your experience and resolution.  Thanks much!

 
that makes no sense. you should be able to enroll when your house closes if you show up with a deed. they shouldnt delay your kids enrollment until you get a bill.  perhaps once you transfer the utilities into your name you can go to one of utility offices and get some account statement showing the utilities in your name.
 
I helped a family with this. I think you should be able to do this using the purchase agreement for this existing home. The school district (or at least Northwood High) allows a grace period of 30-45 days for you to produce utility bills. I suggest that you approach the school first and seek guidance from them. They may refer you to the district but you would have a reference point. You need to do this fast, like within this week. Once the school is over, you will have to wait until August to get anything done with school enrollment stuff.

The enrollment process is quite organized. Even if you miss, you should be able to get into the high school within your boundary. I've heard cases where an elementary school turns away pupils from their boundary because it was already full. Just to be safe, act fast and visit the school in person if you have too.

 
Thanks to qwerty and WillJoy for the replies above.

I'm calling them everyday now, morning and afternoon.  The lady in the district office kept telling me she had relayed my info to a "coordinator" and I'm supposed to get a callback.  But of course nobody ever returned my call.  When I left her a message, I don't hear back.  When I asked her to give me the "coordinator"'s number, she refused.  Maybe I really should just file a complaint as she suggested. :(
 
I don't suggest that you file a complaint. You'll be dealing with IUSD for quite a few years to come. Please don't start the relationship with a sour note, unless you're like me who just can't stand nonsense at all. Believe me, I kicked and screamed a lot over the years and it rarely led to any practical resolution.

The front desk receptionists at IUSD office are stuck-ups. You can literally see the hair in their nostrils.

Have you tried to talk to the school(s) yet? I know they might direct you to the district office if you call. But if you show up in person with all the papers, they can be helpful - they will take your papers or forms first then show you how to navigate through the rest of the process. I bring flowered to the school admin desk every year during the enrollment period to kiss up ;-)

But if you cannot manage a visit, don't worry about it. Call each school in question, let them know your situation and ask whether you might be turned away if enrollment is full. School is easier to work with.






 
@WillJoy - Thanks for the suggestions.  Very helpful!

Yea I called the school.  It is Westpark elementary school.  In contrary to the district staff I talked to on the phone, their staffs are very nice.  The only thing is that this school currently has a waiting list. If it is full, my daughter will have to go to Culverdale (which is less preferred by us due to its rating). They did refer me back to district office for registration, but they were nice enough to put my daughter onto their waiting list now. 

The district staff told me they will have one-stop enrollment from 7/8 to 8/6 to handle students who transferred from another school district in summer.  I am planning to go there with all the documents I can provide.  Hopefully they will take them. 
 
I registered my kids last year with 1 stop registration IUSD running in the summer.
Have ALL the papers with you!  I had a hard time with the immunization records since they require original paper slip signed by your pediatrician.  If you transfer from another district/city - get the immunization records in writing from your doctor prior to moving.
 
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