Leslie Wasserman doesn't live in Beverly Hills, California, but her two daughters have been going to school in the tony 90210 zip code for 10 years. Come June, her youngest will have to find a new school.
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Ronda Kaysen: Last night, the Beverly Hills Unified School District approved the controversial plan to end the district's practice of allowing out-of-area students to attend its schools. The board voted unanimously to notify all so-called "permit students" in kindergarten through 8th grade that they must enroll elsewhere because of the district's new financing plan. The board will allow all high school students to remain in the district, reports KTLA.
For years, the monied school district has offered permits to hundreds of kids who don't live in Beverly Hills so that they could attend the famously good schools there. In exchange for each kid, the district received $6,200 from the state and filled empty seats. But that equation became less profitable once the city actually collected more money in property taxes for education than it could from state education coffers. So, the school district decided to become a "basic aid" district, meaning it will rely on its property tax base for funding rather than an attendance base. That means the permit system is gone, and kids who hail from other zip codes will need to find another place to call school.
Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2010/01/if_youre_not_from_beverly_hills_dont_try_going_to_school_there.php#ixzz0cat3aBY5