Superintendent/Principal Jack Baldermann is recommending that Riverside-Brookfield High School hire a firm to conduct residency investigations at RB to make sure that only students who actually live in RB’s district attend RB.

“I think we should do it,” said Superintendent/Principal Jack Baldermann. “I believe it’s the right move for the district.”

RB residency investigations have been handled by Assistant Principal John Passarella. Hiring an outside firm to do residency investigations would allow Passarella to focus his energies on students inside RB.

According to Passarella, about 12 students were removed from RB last year because he discovered that they did not live in the district. Another 25 families were not allowed to register their children at RB this summer, because they failed to adequately prove residency, Passarella stated in an e-mail to the Landmark.

District 208 school board member Laura Hruska said it is better to have an outside firm conduct residency investigations rather than a school administrator.

“It makes better sense to have our administrator in the building,” said Hruska. “This way, no one feels that one of the administrators is singling anyone out.”

At their Aug. 26 meeting, school board members heard a presentation from William Beitler, the president of the firm National Investigations Inc. which RB is likely to hire.

Beitler said that based on a very preliminary look at the district, he estimated that perhaps 3 percent of RB’s students do not actually live in the district, “based on what we’re given in other districts around them.”

He added that his estimate is also based on other information he picked up on a quick drive around the area before appearing before the school board on Aug. 26, saying RB’s proximity to a train station is one factor in his estimate.

Beitler also related that he talked to a woman who lives on Arden Avenue and who told him that when school is in session there are many cars parked a few blocks from RB that have out-of-district vehicle stickers on them.

RB’s high ranking in the Newsweek ranking of high schools and its excellent reputation are powerful draws for out of district families.

“Some parents just want to have their kids go there just because of that ranking,” said Beitler.

Passarella said that National Investigations brought some advantages to the table that other firms that do residency investigations do not.

While most firms charge in hourly installments, National Investigation charges in 15-minute increments. Unlike most firms, National Investigations does not charge for mileage and is willing to put a cap on its payments.

According to Beitler, National Investigations runs every student’s information through its data base, which he said is 89-percent accurate.

“Every family gets checked out,” said Beitler. “I’ve found out that it’s better to do it that way.”

When the computer analysis indicates that a student may reside outside the district, investigators, who are independent contractors for the company, do further work which may involve surveillance and knocking on doors to make sure the student actually lives there.

National Investigations has about 50 school districts as clients, including Proviso District 209, Palatine District 211 and Elmhurst Unit District 205.

While it appears likely that the RB school board will hire National Investigations, some board members have concerns about the “big brother” aspect of investigations.

“I hate sneaking around checking out anybody, but there doesn’t seem to be another way of doing it,” said District 208 school board member Bill McCloskey. “I hope that anybody we hire is above board and uses methods accepted within the industry.”

RB’s annual per-pupil expenditure is $13,919.60, according to RB business manager Chris Whelton. If investigations revealed that 45 out-of-district students (3 percent) were attending RB illegally, that could potentially save the district about $625,000.

District 208 school board President Larry Herbst said that he, too, has some misgivings, but will probably go along with hiring the firm.

“I don’t want big brother coming down on us,” Herbst said. “I feel bad it’s come to this.”